What is Street Spam?

"Street Spam" is any advertisement posted illegally in any public place. Most of these advertisements are signs printed on "Coroplast" (which looks like corrugated cardboard, but is made from non-recyclable plastic). Other forms may include plastic-laminated paper signs or "pocket spam" (business-card size advertisements in paper pockets).

Public places where Street Spam is commonly found include:

• Utility poles (attached by nails, staples, or tape);
  
• Highway rights-of-way (stuck into the ground on wooden or metal stakes);
  
• Telephone booths (the target of most "pocket spam").
  

Many Federal and State laws and local ordinances declare these signs illegal, because:

• The term "Public property" does not mean that the property can be used by anyone who wants to use it for their personal gain. Highway rights-of-way belong to the various States. Utility poles belong to the utility companies. It is against the law to use property that does not belong to you without permission from the owner!
  
• The signs create a traffic hazard because they block drivers' vision at intersections.
  
• Americans put a great amount of civic and volunteer effort into keeping their cities and towns clean and attractive, and these ugly signs are eyesores.
  
• The signs, and the nails and staples used to attach them, are dangerous to utility-company workers when they have to climb the poles.
  

Would you like your neighborhood to look like this?

This is one utility pole, on one corner of an intersection in Dallas, Texas

You can help fight this blight! Most laws and ordinances classify these signs as either common litter or abandoned property. As such, they are fair game for removal by anyone, despite the sign spammers' arguments to the contrary.

These signs were removed in a single weekend by one citizen.

Just be careful, don't block traffic, and dispose of the signs properly. Your neighbors will thank you, you'll get a bit of exercise and fresh air, and you'll feel the pride of having contributed to keeping your community clean and free of traffic hazards.

A new shark's "catch" - 150 signs picked up in a few hours.