November 06, 2024
Charles Rankin/USA TODAY NETWORK
Campaign yard signs can be recycled in Philadelphia at any of the city's six sanitation convenience centers. Several suburban counties also are hosting collection drives in November.
Election Day has come and gone, but the yard signs may seem like they are here to stay.
The campaign placards promoting one's favored candidate don't off much after the results are in. But they aren't the easiest to recycle, either.
Though they are made of plastic and metal, they can't go into regular, curbside recycling bins like cans and water bottles. They're actually considered contamination for single stream recycling, so they have to be placed in the trash or brought to a collection site.
"When you put them into regular recycling, it affects the whole recycling stream," said Megan Alt, the communications director for Montgomery County. "And then there's also some issues with the actual metal stands that can be a little bit dangerous when you're putting them into the regular recycling, because they could kind of projectile out."
There are several locations in the Philadelphia region that collect election signs, but some of them only accept signs made of certain materials, and they don't all accept the metal stands. In those cases, the stands can be taken to scrapyards.
Target and Acme stores throughout the Philadelphia region accept signs made of plastic film, but they do not accept those made of corrugated cardboard or plastic, nor do they accept the metal stands.
Philadelphia's sanitation convenience centers only accept signs made of corrugated cardboard, but not the wire stands.
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties accept signs of all materials and the metal stands. Bucks County does not offer opportunities for election sign recycling, nor do Burlington and Gloucester counties in South Jersey.
Here's where the signs can be dropped off in each county:
Signs made of corrugated cardboard can be recycled at the city's sanitation convenience centers, which are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
• Northeast Philadelphia, 8401 State Road
• Northwest Philadelphia, 320 Domino Lane
• Port Richmond, 3901 Delaware Ave.
• Southwest Philadelphia, 3033 S. 63rd St.
• Strawberry Mansion, 2601 W. Glenwood Ave.
• West Philadelphia, 5100 Grays Ave.
Chester County has five sites that offer limited-time opportunities to dispose of signs. Signs need to be dismantled, with parts placed in appropriate bins at the collection sites. Hours of operation vary.
Nov. 7-18
• Uwchlan Township Building, 715 N. Ship Road, Exton
• Caln Township Building, 253 Municipal Drive, ThorndaleNov. 8-18
• East Whiteland Township Building, 209 Conestoga Road, Frazer
• SECCRA Community Landfill, 219 Street Road, West GroveNov. 23
• Recycling Services Inc., 365 Elm St., Pottstown
Residents can stop by Rose Tree County Park at 1671 N. Providence Road in Media to drop off election signs on Friday, Nov. 8, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Signs of all materials and their metal legs are accepted. No dismantling is necessary.
Montgomery has the largest amount of recycling options, and they're open to people who live outside the county. Signs of all materials are accepted, and their metals stands don't need to be removed. Hours of operation vary by location.
"We just hope that anybody who has campaign sign takes advantage of one of these 17 sites from around around the county, because there's a there's a lot of them, and hopefully there's one nearby, so that folks can recycle their signs safely," Alt said.
Signs can be dropped off at these locations through Wednesday, Nov. 13. Hours of operation vary by site.
• Abington Township Highway Yard, 2201 Florey Lane, Abington
• Cheltenham Township Public Works Facility, 8101 Old York Road, Elkins Park
• Collegeville Borough Municipal Building, 491 E. Main St., Collegeville
• Douglass Township Recycling Center, 108 Municipal Drive, inGilbertsville
• Hatfield Township Building, 1950 School Road, Hatfield
• Horsham Township Municipal Building, 1025 Horsham Road, Horsham
• Lower Merion Transfer Station, 1300 N. Woodbine Ave., Penn Valley
• Lower Providence Township Municipal Building, 379 Main St., Harleysville
• Montgomery County Democratic Committee Headquarters, 754 E. Johnson Highway, Building No. 4, Norristown
• Montgomery County Republican Committee Headquarters, 1045 S. Trooper Road, Norristown
• Montgomery Township Administration Building, 1001 Stump Road, Montgomeryville
• Skippack Township Building, 4089 Heckler Road, Skippack
• Upper Dublin Township Library, 520 Virginia Drive, Fort Washington
• Upper Gwynedd Township Pool Parking Lot: 1 Parkside Place, North Wales
• Whitemarsh Township Administration Building, 616 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill
• Whitpain Township Administration Building, 960 Wentz Road, Blue Bell
