Central Ohio Communities Open Campaign Yard Sign Recycling Drop-Offs
Free programs in Columbus, Franklin County and Upper Arlington accept plastic and metal signs that cannot go into curbside bins.
After campaign signs flooded yards during a busy election season, officials are encouraging sign recycling instead of throwing them away. Local communities are encouraging residents to recycle their signs through several free collection programs running through late November.
According to Keep Columbus Beautiful, yard signs can sit in landfills for hundreds or even thousands of years, but many of the materials used to make them can be recycled and repurposed. Executive Director Aryeh Alex said recycling keeps valuable materials in use rather than sending them to landfills.
However, most campaign signs cannot simply be thrown into regular curbside recycling containers. While paper and cardboard signs are accepted in household blue bins, plastic signs and metal wires should be taken to dedicated convenience centers. Rigid metal wire stakes and plastic film or corrugated plastic signs are excluded from standard curbside pickup because they can tangle and damage sorting machinery at regional recycling facilities.
To recycle signs properly, residents must separate each component before drop-off. Metal ground stands go into scrap bins to be melted down and recycled, according to Alex. Paper yard signs are sent to traditional recycling, while plastic film bags and corrugated plastic signs are placed into specialized containers and routed to a dedicated plastics processor.
In Columbus, residents can drop off old campaign signs for free at either of the city’s two Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers. Drop-off locations include 2100 Alum Creek Drive and 1550 Georgesville Road. Both Columbus locations operate Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staff members direct residents to appropriate bins based on the materials. The public can take signs to the convenience centers through Nov. 29. City officials noted they encourage residents to make recycling yard signs a routine after every election.
The Franklin County Board of Elections has partnered with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio to provide a designated recycling container at the southeast corner of the board's parking lot at 1700 Morse Road. This drop-off service is available to campaigns and the public through late November. Antone White, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said the partnership provides a convenient recycling option for campaigns and residents after the election.
In Upper Arlington, the city is accepting election signs for recycling at the Municipal Services Center at 3600 Tremont Road. Residents can bring signs to drop-off bins positioned near the police bay at the south end of the building until Nov. 20. City officials ask residents to detach signs from metal stakes and use the marked bins for each material.
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Supporting evidence (10)
After campaign signs flooded yards during a busy election season, officials are encouraging sign recycling instead of throwing them away.
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After campaign sides flooded Columbus yards during a busy election season, Columbus officials are encouraging residents to recycle them instead of throwing them away.
According to Keep Columbus Beautiful, yard signs can sit in landfills for hundreds or even thousands of years, but many of the materials used to make them can be recycled and repurposed.
Read supporting passage
Keep Columbus Beautiful said yard signs can sit in landfills for hundreds or even thousands of years, but many of the materials used to make them can be recycled and repurposed.
Executive Director Aryeh Alex said recycling keeps valuable materials in use rather than sending them to landfills.
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Aryeh Alex, executive director of Keep Columbus Beautiful, said recycling helps keep valuable materials in use rather than sending them to landfills.
Metal ground stands go into scrap bins to be melted down and recycled, according to Alex.
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“The metal stands that go in the ground, they actually go into our scrap metal bin and they’re recycled. If you have a paper yard sign, those actually are sent to our traditional recycling.” Alex said, “If you have the plastic, either the bag or the corrugated plastic signs, those go in a special container here. And then we ship those off to a special plastic recycler.”
Paper yard signs are sent to traditional recycling, while plastic film bags and corrugated plastic signs are placed into specialized containers and routed to a dedicated plastics processor.
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“The metal stands that go in the ground, they actually go into our scrap metal bin and they’re recycled. If you have a paper yard sign, those actually are sent to our traditional recycling.” Alex said, “If you have the plastic, either the bag or the corrugated plastic signs, those go in a special container here. And then we ship those off to a special plastic recycler.”
In Columbus, residents can drop off old campaign signs for free at either of the city’s two Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers.
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Residents can drop off their old campaign signs for free at either of the city’s two Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers.
Drop-off locations include 2100 Alum Creek Drive and 1550 Georgesville Road.
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2100 Alum Creek Drive 1550 Georgesville Road Both locations are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Both Columbus locations operate Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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2100 Alum Creek Drive 1550 Georgesville Road Both locations are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Staff members direct residents to appropriate bins based on the materials.
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Staff will direct residents to the appropriate containers based on the materials.
City officials noted they encourage residents to make recycling yard signs a routine after every election.
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City officials said they hope residents make recycling campaign signs a habit after every election.
Supporting evidence (9)
Local communities are encouraging residents to recycle their signs through several free collection programs running through late November.
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With Election Day over, local communities are encouraging residents to recycle their campaign yard signs and compost fall pumpkins through several free drop-off programs running until late November.
While paper and cardboard signs are accepted in household blue bins, plastic signs and metal wires should be taken to dedicated convenience centers.
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Paper or cardboard yard signs can go in residents’ blue recycling containers, but plastic signs and metal wires should be taken to the Convenience Centers.
The public can take signs to the convenience centers through Nov. 29.
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The public can take pumpkins and signs to the Alum Creek Waste and Reuse Convenience Center at 2100 Alum Creek Drive and the Georgesville Waste and Reuse Convenience Center at 1550 Georgesville Rd., Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 29.
The Franklin County Board of Elections has partnered with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio to provide a designated recycling container at the southeast corner of the board's parking lot at 1700 Morse Road.
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The Franklin County Board of Elections has partnered again with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio to provide a designated recycling container for yard signs at the southeast corner of the Board of Elections parking lot at 1700 Morse Rd.
This drop-off service is available to campaigns and the public through late November.
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This service is available until the end of November for campaigns and the public.
Antone White, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said the partnership provides a convenient recycling option for campaigns and residents after the election.
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“This program gives campaigns and residents a convenient way to recycle their yard signs after the election,” said Antone White, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. “We appreciate SWACO’s partnership and encourage everyone to use the designated container,” he said.
In Upper Arlington, the city is accepting election signs for recycling at the Municipal Services Center at 3600 Tremont Road.
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The City of Upper Arlington is accepting election signs for recycling at the Municipal Services Center at 3600 Tremont Rd.
Residents can bring signs to drop-off bins positioned near the police bay at the south end of the building until Nov. 20.
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Residents can bring signs and place them in bins by the Police Bay at the south end of the building until Nov. 20.
City officials ask residents to detach signs from metal stakes and use the marked bins for each material.
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City officials ask residents to separate signs from their metal stakes and use the marked bins for each material.