It’s obvious that candidates running for office feel the need to put signs in people’s yards. They want their names to be visible and recognizable to voters. But when you multiply a single yard sign, along with the plastic, wire, and metal used to produce and support it, by the enormous number of signs used across the country, it represents a tremendous amount of material and waste.
Plastic, in particular, creates a significant environmental concern, because it can remain in the environment for decades – or even centuries – before breaking down. When combined with the wire and metal components of each sign, the cumulative environmental impact of millions of campaign signs becomes difficult to ignore, especially for materials used for such a short period of time.
This year, I’ve also noticed an increasing number of extra-large signs. The psychology must be “big is better” Instead of a simple wire frame, these require considerably more metal to support them, adding even more unnecessary material to the equation.
I highly doubt that people vote for someone simply because they see a name on a sign in someone’s yard or their friends yard. It seems to me that our political process should find more environmentally responsible ways to get candidates’ names and messages in front of voters.
Lastly, these signs are ugly – like billboards. And, they often remain in place well beyond an election.
Jan Bell
Bowling Green
