Now that the primary is over, you might be looking to make those election signs that were in your yard part of history as well.
And Kane County wants you to do just that … but in an environmentally friendly way.
Unfortunately, that does not include throwing the signs into your regular recycle bin, where they can become contaminants in bales of cardboard or are pulled out by machines or workers and sent to landfills.
This Kane County Campaign Sign Recycling Program, which began a few years ago, is similar to one in DuPage, which is asking residents to drop off the signs March 20 from 3-5:30 p.m. and March 21 from 9 a.m.-noon at the DuPage County Campus on County Farm Road in Wheaton.
Kane County is offering more days and more sites, however, with residents able to get rid of their campaign signs through March 25 at the county’s Recycling Center sites in Geneva and West Dundee; the Kane County Department of Transportation facility in Campton Hills; and through March 29 at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva.
Those taking materials to the latter should place the signs in the commercial container at the end of the long driveway adjacent to the forest preserve, where separate containers will be available for the metal sign stands. (More details about the program, including times, can be found at recycle@kanecountyil.gov).
An important thing to keep in mind: Only signs made from corrugated polypropylene – most commonly known as plastic #5 – are accepted.
If you, like me, need more explanation of that type of stiffer plastic, Kane County Recycling Coordinator Clair Ryan suggested thinking of butter or margarine tubs, as well as yogurt containers and lotion or shampoo bottles. That means signs made from the thinner plastic (marked #4) are not eligible but can be taken to plastic bag drop-off locations at stores for recycling.
A couple more simple requests, please: Check first with your candidates or campaign committees to make sure these political signs can’t be reused. Also, separate them from their metal stands, which go to scrap companies for recycling, and remove zip ties or other fasteners.
Once the signs are collected – usually enough to nearly fill a 20-yard dumpster, according to Ryan – they go to LRS, a Rosemont-based waste and recycling company with facilities in West Chicago and Elburn that specializes in taking care of these election leftovers.
While this post-election recycling program in Kane County is intended for county folks only, Ryan admits “we are not that strict” about enforcement.
“It’s mostly residents” who take advantage of the opportunity, “but they do come from other counties,” she said, adding that officials certainly aren’t out there policing the drop-off centers.
Whether your candidate won or lost, there’s no question we all come out ahead if we can can keep these signs out of landfills so they can be used again – perhaps as garage sale signs or as craft material. Maybe they will even show up again under a new candidate for the next election cycle.
“The point is,” said Ryan, “to get them to the right place.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
