After creating 10 sets of wheel covers, I realized how difficult it would be to sustain purchasing white plastic wall panels from the home improvement store to continue my project. As a teenager, my personal budget was strained! As I pondered a solution, I realized there was a local election coming up in my town and my wheels started spinning. Research confirmed that most campaign signs are challenging to recycle because they are made of many different kinds of material.
I wrote to Mayor Dalina, Monroe Township’s Mayor, and he supported my environmentally friendly idea of upcycling campaign ephemera (printed works produced for a short-term purpose). As a matter of fact, the recycling center had a shed full of his old signs which he gladly allowed me to repurpose.
To date, I’ve created 4 sets of wheel covers out of large campaign signs and just picked up some more signs from another candidate who supports my endeavors. I’m grateful for the continued patronage. I was even lucky enough to meet the Mayor this week and thank him in person. He even taught me the definition of ephemera!
