City of Dallas Offers Post-Election Sign Recycling

Whether you’re deeply disappointed or jumping for joy, you know what they say about spilled milk.

Time to stop watching Ring footage on repeat to catch the election yard sign thief, and time to push on.

The City of Dallas is providing residents an environmentally friendly way to dispose of political yard signs following the election season. From now through November 30, residents can recycle corrugated plastic yard signs and metal stakes at any of the City’s three transfer stations during normal residential drop-off hours. 

How to Identify Your Sign Type: 

Political yard signs come in several materials, each with different recycling requirements. You can identify your sign type by look and feel: 

• Corrugated Plastic Signs: These feel sturdy and rigid 
• Cardboard-Based Signs: Similar appearance but less sturdy than corrugated plastic 
• Plastic Film Signs: Feel like thick plastic bags 

Recycling Guidelines by Sign Type: 

Corrugated Plastic Signs and Metal Stakes: 

• Must be brought to transfer stations for recycling 
• Cannot be placed in blue recycling roll carts due to their rigid construction, which can damage or jam the automated sorting equipment at the City’s recycling facility 
• Department of Sanitation staff will properly bundle signs and metal stakes for separate processing 

Plastic Film Signs and Metal Stakes: 

• Metal stakes can be recycled at transfer stations 
• Plastic film should be either discarded or recycled at retail locations that accept plastic bags (like grocery stores) 

Cardboard Signs: 

• 100% cardboard signs can be placed in blue recycling roll carts 
• Cardboard signs coated in plastic cannot be recycled and should either be repurposed or disposed of in household garbage 

Residents unable to bring recyclable signs to transfer stations may bag them and place them in their gray roll cart for normal household garbage collection. 

The City’s sanitation department announcement indicates the recycling guidelines and services are specifically for residents living within the City of Dallas, urging residents of other cities and communities to contact their local solid waste management authority for guidance on proper disposal and recycling options in their area. For more information, including drop-off locations and hours, visit Dallas.gov/Sanitation.