How to Correctly Recycle Political Yard Signs in Omaha

First Star Recycling told Omaha residents Wednesday not to trash political yard signs now that Election Day has come and gone, but to recycle them correctly by material, WOWT reported.

That distinction matters in Douglas County, where a sign is not one item for the recycling truck. The metal stake, the paper face, and the corrugated plastic face each follow a different path, and the wrong piece in the curbside cart can contaminate a load or send reusable material to the landfill.

Manheim Township offers residents a way to recycle Election Day campaign signs

Metal and plastic stands stay out of the curbside cart

Plastic or metal stands do not belong in the curbside recycling cart, community bins, or orange bags, according to First Star Recycling. The better first step is to ask the candidate or political party whether it is collecting signs for reuse or disposal.

The Douglas County Democratic Party office has confirmed it is accepting signs and metal posts, First Star Recycling said, giving at least one local collection point for people who would rather not process the materials themselves.

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Where each sign material actually goes

If no collection site is available, First Star Recycling says to separate the materials. Metal stakes should be removed and taken to a scrap metal recycling drop-off location. Paper signs can go into regular mixed recycling. Corrugated plastic signs, the Coroplast kind common in campaigns, should be placed in the trash.

Corrugated plastic still has no curbside outlet in Omaha

That last category is the sobering part for anyone hoping every campaign sign can be diverted: under this guidance, the plastic corrugated board still has no curbside recycling outlet in Omaha and is headed to the garbage unless a party or candidate collects it for another use. For more information, residents can check First Star Recycling.