Those little political campaign yard signs provide quite the plastic punch, and it is possible to recycle those abundant beasts.
That’s why the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District is working to reduce that waste by collecting campaign signs for recycling this month. The program provides residents and campaigns with a responsible way to dispose of signs after the election while keeping recyclable materials out of landfills.
NWA Recycles estimates that if one in three households displayed a campaign sign during a major election cycle, Northwest Arkansas could generate nearly 38 tons of plastic and metal campaign sign material.
That estimate is based on the number of households across Benton, Washington and Madison counties. A survey during the last presidential election found that about one in three households planned to place a campaign sign in their yard. If that level of participation occurred locally, it would mean more than 76,000 signs across Northwest Arkansas. With each plastic sign and metal stake weighing about one pound on average, that could equal nearly 38 tons of material in total after an election.
Most campaign signs are made from corrugated polypropylene plastic supported by metal H-stakes placed in the ground. While both materials are technically recyclable, corrugated plastic is not typically accepted through curbside recycling programs and the metal stakes must be separated before recycling. As a result, many campaign signs are thrown away after elections if they are not collected through special recycling efforts.
Through the Boston Mountain program, collected signs will be sent to Alternative Plastics, a Gentry-based recycling company that processes post-industrial and post-consumer plastics for reuse in manufacturing. Once the materials arrive at the facility, the plastic panels are separated from the metal stakes and processed through specialized recycling equipment.
The plastic is shredded and processed into raw material that can be used in molding or compounding applications. Recycled plastic from these signs can eventually be used to produce products such as plastic lumber, pallets, fencing, containers and other durable materials.
Residents can recycle campaign signs and metal stands throughout the month of March at the following locations:
Washington County Road Department
2615 S Brink Drive
Fayetteville, AR 72704
Boston Mountain Solid Waste District
11398 Bond Road
Prairie Grove, AR 72753
Collection dates: March 3 through March 31, 2026
Both plastic campaign signs and metal stands are accepted. Residents do not need to separate the materials before dropping them off.
Questions
For more information about the campaign sign recycling program, contact Boston Mountain Solid Waste District at 479-846-3005 or visit bmswd.com.
