Holiday lights and Christmas tree recycling in the Tri-Cities

Geneva has already posted its holiday light recycling dates for this season. St. Charles and Batavia have not announced theirs yet, but each city's standing rules for Christmas tree pickup are on the books. Here is what is confirmed as of Nov. 9, and what is still to come.

Geneva: light drop-off runs Nov. 16 to Jan. 15

From Monday, Nov. 16, 2026, through Friday, Jan. 15, 2027, Geneva residents can recycle old, broken or unwanted holiday light strands for free. The city is working with eWorks, and drop-off is during normal business hours at:

• Geneva City Hall, 22 S. First St.
• Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St.
• Geneva Park District's Sunset Community Center, 710 Western Ave.

Mini (Italian) lights, C7 and C9 bulbs, rope lights, LED strands and extension cords are accepted. Garland, wreaths and outdoor display pieces with lights are not.

For trees, LRS picks up live Christmas trees on your regular garbage day in early January with no sticker needed. The city's tree page still shows last season's dates, so the January 2027 dates have not been posted yet. The rules on that page: set the tree out by 7 a.m. on pickup day, because crews will not come back. Remove ornaments, nails and stands. Wreaths and roping go in the trash. Trees put out after the first two weeks of January need one Geneva waste sticker.

St. Charles: tree rules set, light dates pending

The city's holiday tree page says LRS collects trees during the first two weeks of January on your regular refuse day, with no sticker. Trees cannot be bagged, and all ornaments, tinsel, lights and decorations must come off. After the two-week window, trees need a refuse sticker. Wreaths and garland are not picked up because of the wire inside. The page says more information is coming as the holidays get closer.

Last season, the St. Charles Natural Resources Commission and the city collected holiday lights and extension cords through Jan. 16, 2026. Drop-off spots included Public Works, the Municipal Building, the St. Charles Public Library, Pottawatomie Community Center, Hickory Knolls Nature Center and Wasco Nursery. The 2026-27 program has not been announced. Questions go to Public Works at 630-377-4405.

Batavia: one free tree through Groot

Groot, Batavia's trash hauler, says it collects one Christmas tree per resident each year at no extra cost during the first two weeks of January. Specific January 2027 dates have not been posted. Groot's number is 630-892-9294.

For lights, Kane County's tree recycling page says its recycling centers take unwanted light strings. The closest one, at 517 E. Fabyan Parkway in Geneva, reopened Nov. 9 after repaving.

Tips that apply in all three towns

Kane County's guidance for curbside trees:

• Take the tree out of its stand and remove every ornament, light and hanger.
• If you bag it to carry it outside, take the bag off before you set it out.
• Cut trees taller than six feet into pieces that each weigh under 50 pounds.
• Trees with flocking or glitter cannot be mulched or composted.

Artificial trees cannot be recycled. If yours is in decent shape, the county notes Goodwill accepts them for resale. Otherwise it goes in the trash, and a bulk sticker may be required.

Each city usually updates its holiday pages in December, so check back before you haul anything to the curb.