Corrugated Plastic Yard Signs Are NOT Recyclable In Manhattan Beach; Repurpose And Reuse Ideas Here!

Press release from the City of Manhattan Beach:

10/28/2020

Did you know that yard signs are NOT accepted in the curbside collection program in Manhattan Beach? The corrugated plastic sheets have a heavy wax coating that makes them beautiful and weatherproof, but also renders them non-recyclable in the Manhattan Beach program. So what can you do with them when they're no longer needed? Repurpose and reuse! Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Paint and personalize

For Birthday or school drive-by parades, displaying kids art, baby's arrival, and upcoming holiday greetings, a coat of spray paint will leave you with a blank canvas to tout your message. Mark those milestones! Prime your yard sign with bonding primer, grab some chalkboard paint, and create your own custom chalkboard. Perfect for marking first days of school or practicing those math facts or handwriting skills over and over again.

photo courtesy of Family Fun Magazine

2. DIY storage boxes

Easy to cut and more durable than cardboard, campaign yard signs are sturdy enough to stand up to the elements and are easier to work with than metal or wood. Check out these creative uses:

A: Storage Boxes - Instructables tutorial by philorr

B: Hanging storage boxes - Instructables tutorial by MattTheMaker

3. Nearly-indestructible Basket Liner

Bike basket liner - Tutorial from bikehacks.com

The corrugated cardboard is lightweight, sturdy, and easy to cut. Measure the bottoms of your reusable shopping bags and add your custom inserts for a bit of extra (and waterproof!) stability. The boards slide into your folded bags for easy storage.

4. Gardening Props

H-stakes also make sturdy props for supporting your growing vegetable, plant, and flower gardens.

5. DIY Bulletin Board

Corrugated cardboard can be painted or covered in contact paper and used as a DIY bulletin board.

6. Makeshift Sleds

Wintertime fun! Larger corrugated yard signs are perfect for sledding down snow covered hills and are lightweight and easy to carry back up the hillside for even the smallest sledding snow bunnies.

7. Yard Décor Anchors

Season’s greetings! The metal stakes, also known as H-stakes, used to hold yard signs, are perfect for anchoring holiday yard décor and keeping your favorite decorations from being blown over (or away!) by coastal winter winds.

8. Surface Protection

Yard signs make ideal surfaces (or ‘drop cloths’) for spray painting smaller projects – by protecting patios, driveways, and yards from misting paint.

Whether you have a few yard signs or enough to spread throughout the whole neighborhood, transforming them into new signs or one of the ideas above is a way to rethink and reuse! Let your imagination lead the way!

This press release was produced by the City of Manhattan Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.