If you’re eager to take down campaign yard signs first thing Wednesday morning, the City of Santa Cruz is reminding residents that they do not belong in blue recycling bins.
The city is offering a recycling service specifically for yard signs, which are typically made of mixed materials incompatible with the normal recycling process.
Residents are invited to bring signs to the city’s Corporation Yard, located at 1125 River St., from Nov. 6 to 15, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Yard signs may also be dropped off at the city’s Resource Recovery Facility, located at 605 Dimeo Lane, any Monday through Saturday, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Most yard signs are made of mixed materials that are incompatible with the recycling collection system, the city said in a release. These materials include paperboard, corrugated plastic and metal wire stands.
The metal stands pose a serious problem in the city’s recycling facility as they become tangled or jammed in the rotating machinery. The plastic signs are not accepted in the curbside cart because they are made of rigid plastic. Plastic signs and metal stands should be saved for reuse, delivered to the city’s Resource Recovery Facility, or placed in the trash.
There are many options to reuse political yard signs. For example, a local school or nonprofit organization may be able to use them with a new message attached to promote an event. And a quick internet search also offers many upcycle projects for corrugated plastic, including birdhouses and lightweight model airplanes.
For more information on what may and may not be placed in City of Santa Cruz blue recycling bins, visit www.cityofsantacruz.com/recycleright.
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