Campaign Signs Not Recyclable, Still End Up In Local Landfills

With election season behind us, driving down Arizona roads will no longer provide information on candidates and propositions on nearly every street corner. But who is responsible for those campaign signs, and what kind of an impact do they have on the environment?

The Phoenix Zoning Ordinance states that campaign signs need to be picked up ten days after the promoted election date, or ten days after the runoff date.

Yvette Roeder, the Senior Public Information Officer for the Phoenix Public Works Department, said that the campaigns and candidates themselves are responsible for the cleanup of the signs on that are not on private property. Proper disposal is complicated. “It’s a little tricky, because a lot of them are not recyclable. There’s a film, usually a laminate to protect it from nature and from the weather, and that makes it difficult for any municipality or any recycling program to recycle them. Actually, most of them are probably going to be thrown in the landfill, unfortunately” said Roeder.

Roeder also mentioned that the metal stakes at the bottom of the signs are not recyclable, and they can actually damage the sorting machines.

Larger signs measuring greater than 32 square feet must obtain a permit with the Planning and Development Department of the City of Phoenix.

After the ten day grace period after the election, the Zoning Ordinance states that signs on private property can be confiscated by enforcement personnel, who can also issue formal citations.

Political signs smaller than 32 square feet must be filed under the name, address, and phone number of the person responsible for its proper display as well as the timely removal of the sign with the Planning and Development Department.

Signs placed on private property have no restriction on how early they can be displayed, but those in the right-of-way cannot go up earlier than 60 days before the primary election and removed 15 days after the election they are promoting.

Most of the signs have now been picked up, but a few still linger behind. Proper disposal continues to be a concern, but candidates and their supporters are encouraged to be mindful about not throwing the sign in the recycling bin.