THE EC has formally asked all the political parties and candidate hopefuls to remove their posters, banners and other campaign materials within the next seven days since it is against the law to campaign and bring out processions and stage showdowns until candidates have been allotted electoral symbols. We hope the EC will be able to ensure that its orders are implemented. However, what we want to underline here is the use of publicity materials that are harmful to the environment. We have been watching with concern the mushroom growth of electoral publicity material all over the country made mostly of non-biodegradable materials.

A huge quantity of plastic materials is being used to make these. The plastic material of choice is PVC (a synthetic plastic polymer) employed in the making of digital banners, festoons, posters, etc. primarily because it is weatherproof. The problem is that PVC is non-biodegradable and we are very concerned about what will happen once election is over. Our experience tells us that once electioneering concludes, they are left as they are and no one bothers to collect them for safe disposal.

Much of this material will end up clogging our already-clogged drains, adding yet another layer of problem to an already dilapidated drainage system, and pollute the environment in the countryside too. We strongly urge authorities to take steps to ban the use of PVC to make publicity material because once the festivity is over; it is the people who will suffer most when the hundreds of thousands of PVC-printed material end up adding one more woe to their lives.