MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday asked residents to clean up political signs left behind after the election, as the state Agency of Transportation prepares to start removing signs along state highways.

Removing the signs is the agency's standard practice after an election, according to the governor's office. Crews will clear signs from the state highway right-of-way, which extends about 25 feet on each side of the road's centerline.

"By picking them up, we'll reduce the amount of unnecessary litter," Scott said in a statement.

The governor's office said residents can help clear roadsides before snowfall by picking up political signs they find along state highway rights-of-way and returning them to the candidate or dropping them off at one of the agency's 57 maintenance garages around the state. The office asked people not to put the signs in curbside trash or recycling bins.

Candidates will have 30 days to retrieve signs that have been collected. After that, Casella Waste Systems will pick up the remaining signs from the state garages and recycle them, the governor's office said. Scott said the company offered to cover the cost of recycling unclaimed signs, so the service comes at no expense to taxpayers. The office described the recycling as an in-kind contribution to the statewide cleanup.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.