With midterm elections over, here's what Michiganders can do with their political lawn signs

Political lawn signs can be a pain to recycle. Experts say the metal stakes need to be removed and that the plastic isn't always recyclable. 

"Campaign signs are usually made ... out of three different materials. There's, like, a poly-thick poly bag-type material. There's the thick boxboard kind of stock card stock material that maybe have a plastic coating on it. And then there's the corrugated plastic signs," said Kate Neese, a recycling and waste management coordinator with Clinton County. 

Neese said recycling the campaign signs can be a bit complicated. 

"It's not a quick and easy answer, unfortunately. The metal frames are recyclable. So if you pull them apart, the metal frame can go through a scrap metal collection. It's not something you want to put in your bin or a drop-off site typically because they're considered tanglers," she said. 

That means that once the metal reaches a sorting facility, it can jam the equipment. 

"The paperboard box board-coated ones might be recyclable in your area. It's always just good to check," Neese said. "The thick plastic film ones, I don't know of anyone that is taking them because of the just the texture and the fact that they could degrade out in the weather. Those are probably the most likely to end up in the garbage, unfortunately."

According to state law, campaign signs must be removed within 10 days after the election. 

Samantha Pickering with the Michigan Environmental Council said that campaigns will pick up the signs for bulk recycling or reuse, but it can take time for them to be gathered up. 

In the meantime, you can call your local recycling center to see if parts or all of the signs you have are recyclable. But you can also reuse them. 

"Or keep them at home and reuse them for your own signs, stuff like garage sales or craft projects," Neese said.