CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Election day has come and gone, and many Chicagoans may be wondering what to do with campaign signs.
Cole Stallard, the commissioner of Chicago’s Streets and Sanitation Department, said the city recycled nearly 4.5 tons of campaign signs after the 2023 mayoral election. This year, the city is renewing its recycling efforts.
“If you just think about that, if everybody just did their part — and we’re trying to do our part — for the environment, it’s just those little steps that can make big differences,” he said.
Stallard said campaign signs need to be kept separate from other recyclables, which means residents should not put them in the city's blue recycling bins.
He says campaign signs should be placed outside and next to the blue bins.
“We don’t take those in the blue cart recycling, but we will pick these things up,” he said. “If they put them on the side of their can, we will separate those and make sure they get recycled.”
Crews are also collecting campaign signs from parkways around the city and recycling them with help from Lakeshore Recycling Systems, he said.
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