As the election season winds down, the City of Dallas is offering a convenient, eco-friendly way for residents to dispose of political yard signs.
From now through November 30, residents can drop off their election signs for recycling at one of the City’s three transfer stations during regular hours, according to a recent press release.
The City’s Department of Sanitation encourages everyone to properly dispose of political signs to help reduce overall waste and protect the environment. The program accepts various types of signs, including corrugated plastic signs, cardboard-based signs, and plastic film signs.
Knowing what to recycle can sometimes be tricky, but the City of Dallas has simplified the process. Political yard signs can be made from several materials requiring different disposal or recycling processes.
Residents are asked to bring corrugated plastic signs, which are sturdy and rigid to the touch, to one of the City’s transfer stations for recycling. These signs, along with their metal stakes, cannot go in blue recycling roll carts because their rigid construction could damage or jam the automated sorting equipment.
Cardboard-based signs that are 100% cardboard can be placed in the blue recycling roll cart. However, if the cardboard is coated in plastic, the sign cannot be recycled and should be disposed of in the household trash.
The plastic film itself should be discarded for plastic film signs, which almost feel like thick plastic bags. However, the metal stakes can be recycled at the transfer stations. Residents are also encouraged to take the plastic film to retail locations, such as grocery stores, that accept plastic bags for recycling.
More than 80 countries, including the United States, have participated in voting this year. Consequently, election waste has become an increasing concern.
According to a report from WasteDive, South Korea discarded 1,740 metric tons of banners from its April elections. Additionally, in Mexico City, the local election authority reported cleaning up 45 metric tons of waste a month after the country’s June election.