Roadside Sign Pollution: Why It's Time to Rethink Our Streetscapes
You’ve seen them everywhere: plastic business and political signs crowding roadsides and intersections, real estate advertisements zip-tied to telephone poles, and the notorious “We Buy Ugly Houses” signs.
They appear overnight and often remain for weeks, months, or until they fall apart or are blown away, becoming one more piece of plastic waste littering our environment.
Temporary signage — especially the ubiquitous plastic-coated yard signs from companies like 1-800-GOT-JUNK or College Hunks Movers — may seem to be harmless ways to promote a local business or show support for a candidate. But these signs raise three important questions:
- Should businesses, political candidates, and even nonprofits be allowed to mar our landscape, including our roadsides, by placing these signs on public property?
- For those towns and cities that do allow signs to be placed on public property, is there a time limit?
- Who is responsible for removing these signs once they have outlived their purpose or if they violate local bylaws?
From visual clutter to environmental waste, there’s more at stake than you might think. Read our blog post to learn what you can do about roadside sign pollution in your community.
