Election season is over, which means political sign season has also drawn to a close. But what are the rules around political sign removal, and what’s the best way to dispose of signs now that the election has come and gone? The Ticker takes a closer look.

According to a 2012 article from The Atlantic, the prevalence of political signage in the United States quadrupled between the 1984 and 2012 presidential elections. Political signage certainly seemed prevalent in northern Michigan this year. From front lawns to bits of public land along local roads, the area has been papered with election signs for months, touting everything from city ballot proposals to presidential tickets.

In the days following Tuesday’s election, those signs are already coming down. In Holiday Hills, for instance, in a stretch along Holiday Road that just days ago held approximately two dozen signs, The Ticker noticed many of the political signs uprooted and piled by the side of the road (pictured).

Such prompt removal of political signs is technically required by the zoning ordinance in East Bay Township, to which the Holiday Hills neighborhoods belong. Specifically, zoning classifies political signs as “temporary signs” and states that they “shall be removed not more than seven (7) days following an election.”

Most townships have similar rules, though specific time limits for sign removal vary. Garfield and Blair townships both require signs to be taken down within five days after the election, while the City of Traverse City allows a two-week removal window.

There is some debate nationally about whether theserules are even enforceable. According to a recent USA Today article, numerous cities around the country repealed political signage statutes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that municipalities couldn’t enforce content-based rules on yard signs – such as setting restrictions that only apply to political signs – without violating constitutional freedom of speech rights.

But according to Michael Trombley, code enforcement officer for the City of Traverse City, therein lies the reason that many zoning ordinances classify election signs under the “temporary signs” category rather than giving them their own specific zoning rules. In Traverse City, temporary signs are defined as “those intended to be displayed for a limited period in association with a temporary event” – a broader definition that includes not just elections, but also things like performing arts events, fundraisers, holiday markets, and more.

“As far as enforcement, I typically will advise and educate the property owner who is displaying the sign of the rules of the ordinance, and instruct them to remove the sign if it has been more than 14 days past the event,” Trombley says of the temporary signage rules. “A civil Infraction citation could be issued if the property owner doesn’t comply with the ordinance, but I have not had to issue any citations because once the owners were educated, they complied.”

Trombley notes that municipalities themselves – including law enforcement – “cannot remove signs if they are on private property,” even if those signs are in violation of the zoning ordinance. “However, the signs that are found on city-owned property, such as the ‘tree lawn’ area – the area between the sidewalk and the street – I will remove them, as will the Traverse City Police Department,” he adds. Signs removed in this fashion in the City of Traverse City are taken to the Law Enforcement Center and placed “in a designated area near their dumpster, where they can be picked up by the rightful owner.”

What happens once the signs all come down? According to Earth911 – the biggest online recycling database in the U.S. – disposing of election signs is surprisingly challenging. Most political signs are made of one of three materials – plastic film, plastic-coated or laminated cardboard, or corrugated plastic – none of which are “recyclable in regular municipal curbside or drop-off recycling collection.” But Andy Gale, president and general manager of Bay Area Recycling for Community (BARC), says his organization welcomes voters to drop off their political signs for recycling at its facilities in Traverse City or Kaleva.

“Plastic film is a grade of plastic we sort out, similar to a shopping bag, and we can recycle that,” Gale tells The Ticker. “And then corrugated plastic is a generally a mixture of a Number 2 and a Number 4 plastics, and that actually has a decent market, if there’s enough of it.”

Last year, Gale says BARC sent out “probably one ton of corrugated plastic material” to its downstream vendors. He’s expecting an even bigger load in 2024, given the prevalence of political signs in a contentious presidential election year like this one.

“Some people went crazy [with the signs] this year,” Gale laughs. “Elections are kind of like sports at this point; you’re either ‘Go Green’ or ‘Go Blue,’ and you want to show your colors that way. Political signs are the same thing, just with much bigger ramifications.”

While corrugated plastic signs are usually shredded for recycling purposes, Gale notes that BARC is hoping to do more with straight reuse of those signs this election season.

“There are companies that will take a corrugated plastic sign, silkscreen a base coat over it – usually a white or a black – and then you can print whatever you want on it again,” he explains. “A single sign can actually become layers and layers of different signs, and it can get repurposed again and again. That’s what we’re shooting for, where the highest and best use for a recycled sign would just be to use it again as a sign.”