Taking Care of Those Political Campaign Signs

Ah, election season. A time when you can't escape the finger-pointing commercials, onslaught of direct mail (that goes directly into my recycling bin) and the landscape of endless political road signs. Neighborhood yards show off the choices for each contest, and public areas along major streets are more crowded with signs than there were people at the Hanson concerts I went to last week (and yes, they were crowded!)

With elections this past Saturday, and runoffs happening on November 21, some signs will start to be taken down now, and the rest in one (long) month. But what should we do with all those signs??

Most yard signs are made with Coroplast, a recyclable corrugated plastic, and the stands are made of metal. Because of election season, there are more yard signs printed than usual, but the sign issue is one that remains all year long. Any of these tips can work for any sign. While the signs are recyclable, check with your city's service to see if they accept signs. Lafayette's recycling provider does not accept the signs.

• Take the metal stands to a scrap recycling facility.
• See if the candidate is looking to take any signs back and drop them off at their campaign headquarters.
• Save the signs to reuse! 
• They can be used as drop cloths for spray painting smaller crafts.
• Spray paint the signs themselves and use them as the basis for decorating your own yard signs. Get all Pinteresty and make some Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas decorations.
• Spray them with chalkboard paint and make them functional!

However many signs you have left over after the polls are closed, be responsible and skip tossing them in the trash!

If you're a candidate, rally a few volunteers to take a couple hours and drive around picking up your campaign signs, then recycle them. It shows that you care about your community enough to stop contributing to the visual litter, and that you practice recycling as a priority.