Reuse, repurpose campaign materials
TO CONSERVE resources and minimize the volume of post-election garbage to be disposed of, reuse and repurpose campaign materials. Yes, both winning and losing candidates must take the lead in preventing campaign materials from being thrown in landfills, burned in cement kilns and incinerators or dumped in the oceans. Regardless of poll standing, all candidates must exemplify their concern for Mother Earth and for public welfare by finding ways to prevent their publicity materials from ending up in waste dumps and furnaces and, God forbid, the oceans.
Dumping and burning campaign materials will be a huge waste of resources, including energy, consumed in making the seemingly incalculable number of posters, leaflets and other popular paraphernalia used for the May 2022 national and local polls. It will further result environmental pollution. Happy or not with the outcome of the polls, it remains our responsibility to clean up, recycling and upcycling where possible. Give a second life to durable materials used and responsibly dispose of non-useable items. For example, sample ballots could be turned into instant notepads with the use of a binding glue, fastener, ribbon or string. Cardboard posters could be made into bookmarks, envelopes, folders, name plates and other school needs.
Polyethylene plastic posters may be used as book and notebook covers, and the sturdier polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic tarpaulin posters may be cut and sewn into carry bags of various sizes. Tarps, as these materials are also called, could be made into useful ball, shoe, shoulder, string, laundry and toiletry bags, as well as waist bags for electricians and janitors. They could also be transformed into aprons, letter and tool organizers, and waste sorters.
Tarps can also be repurposed as awnings or canopies for homes and stores, upholstery material, and as a protective shield against sun and rain for jeepneys, pedicabs and tricycles, the group said. While reusing and repurposing is surely not a perfect solution, especially for campaign materials laden with harmful chemicals, it will no doubt lessen the volume of trash that is collected and hauled to disposal facilities, or get spilled into the natural environment, including water bodies. In addition to decreased garbage volume, reusing and repurposing campaign materials will reduce disposal costs, prevent releases of chemical pollutants into the environment, conserve resources and instill environmental awareness and responsibility among our people.