Bawal plastic dito! Elections shouldn’t pollute
WITH the election season in full swing, the streets, walls, and public spaces are flooded with plastic tarpaulins — typically made of polyethylene, a durable and flexible thermoplastic — bearing the faces and promises of political candidates. Everywhere you look, you’ll see these aspiring politicians, hoping for your vote and support. But once the votes are counted, these campaign materials are abandoned, contributing to the country’s growing plastic waste crisis.
This unchecked waste significantly worsens the Philippines’ reputation as one of the world’s top ocean polluters. While regulations like the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 hold corporations accountable for their plastic waste, political campaigns remain largely exempt from such oversight.
But should we really wait for a law to force politicians to take responsibility?
If we can’t hold them accountable for this simple matter, how can we trust them with more significant issues, such as the taxes we pay and their actions or inactions that have lasting negative impacts on the future of our nation and generations to come?
If these aspiring leaders genuinely care about the environment and the people who are greatly impacted by pollution, they should voluntarily commit to recovering, recycling, or repurposing their campaign materials. More than that, they should set an example by publicly reporting how they manage their plastic waste after the election.
A candidate’s commitment to sustainability should not begin only after they are elected, it should be evident in how they run their campaign. Voters must demand accountability, and politicians must prove they are responsible leaders before they take office.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL TOLLElection-related waste, especially plastic tarpaulins, poses a significant environmental threat. These materials are designed for durability, but once the elections are over, they become useless and are often dumped in landfills, burned, or left to litter public spaces.
Elections are often linked with massive amounts of campaign waste polluting communities. Plastic tarpaulins and posters clog drainage systems, worsen flooding, and release toxic emissions when incinerated. Despite these clear environmental consequences, no formal system ensures politicians take responsibility for cleaning up after their campaigns.
The EPR Act of 2022 requires large enterprises to manage the full life cycle of their plastic waste, ensuring proper collection, recycling, and disposal. This law disrupts the traditional approach, where consumers were primarily responsible for collecting and recycling plastic waste.
However, campaign materials are not currently covered under this law, allowing politicians to generate massive amounts of plastic waste without consequences. Just as businesses are held accountable for their environmental impact, political candidates should be responsible for recovering and diverting 100% of their plastic campaign materials.
If they can afford to print thousands of tarpaulins, they should also bear the cost of collecting and repurposing them. This is their moment to prove to Filipinos that they genuinely care — not just about winning, but about the people and the environment.
I believe this is the right and responsible thing to do. Regardless of the law, they should hold themselves accountable for the waste generated by their campaign. After all, they are running for office to serve the public, and this entails ensuring our protection from the environmental consequences of plastic waste.
SOLUTIONS FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE ELECTIONTo minimize the environmental impact of political campaigns, candidates should commit to the following:
1. Use Eco-Friendly Alternatives
• Replace plastic tarpaulins with biodegradable or recyclable materials
• Require political parties to disclose the materials used in their campaign paraphernalia.
2. Implement a Take-Back Program for Used Campaign Materials
• Politicians — not voters — should be responsible for collecting and properly disposing of their campaign materials.
• Campaign teams must set up collection points and retrieval systems to ensure proper recycling and disposal.
3. Partner with Recycling Organizations
• Work with recycling companies and organizations to repurpose used tarpaulins into useful products like school bags, wallets, roofing materials, or eco-bricks.
• Incentivize local governments to facilitate sustainable waste management for campaign materials.
4. Introduce Plastic Footprint Accounting
• Candidates must track and publicly disclose their campaign’s plastic footprint.
• A third-party organization should validate waste management efforts.
• Implement penalties for those who fail to recover and properly dispose of their plastic waste.
VOLUNTARY AND TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABILITYWhile legislative changes are necessary, politicians do not need to wait for new laws to act responsibly. A true leader leads by example, and one way to demonstrate genuine concern for the environment is by voluntarily committing to sustainable campaign practices. Political candidates should:
• Make a public commitment to recover and recycle 100% of their campaign materials.
• Submit a transparent post-election report detailing how they managed their plastic waste.
• Pledge to use eco-friendly campaign materials in future elections.
Voters, in turn, should hold candidates accountable and support those who prioritize environmental responsibility.
DEMAND SUSTAINABLE ELECTIONS NOWThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) must strengthen regulations by integrating sustainability requirements for campaign materials. The absence of strict guidelines on eco-friendly election materials allows politicians to pollute without consequence. Countries like Taiwan and Germany have successfully enforced stricter regulations on election campaign materials, reducing their environmental impact. The Philippines should follow suit by extending the EPR Act to include political tarpaulins and making sustainable election campaigns the standard. We must demand action before the May 2025 elections.
The battle for political office should not come at the cost of environmental destruction. By holding politicians accountable for the full life cycle of their campaign materials, we can significantly reduce election-related plastic waste and set a precedent for sustainability in governance.
A sustainable future starts with responsible choices — both from those who seek to lead, and those who choose their leaders. Let’s demand more from our candidates and ensure that every election contributes to progress, not pollution.
This May, let’s cast a vote not just for leaders — but for our environment, for our future, and for our planet.
P.S. — The bottomline is “bawal plastic” sa May 2025 election! (“Plastic is forbidden” in the May 2025 election!)
The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not reflect those of his firm or any organization he is affiliated with.
Lucky Cimatu is the senior managing consultant for the Advisory Services Practice Area at P&A Grant Thornton, one of the leading audit, tax, advisory, and outsourcing firms in the Philippines.
