Turn used election banners into money; Kerala printing units offer buyback and recycling

Pandalam: Following the local body elections, residents will no longer need to drape flex banners over chicken coops. They can instead hand them over to the nearest flex printing shop, where the banners will be bought at ₹20 per kilo. The scheme not only provides cash to residents but also promotes eco-friendly disposal.

The Sign Printing Industries Association, an organisation representing flex printing units, has committed to buying back the banners. With 1,244 printing units across Kerala, the association has undertaken the responsibility of recycling used flex sheets in an eco-friendly manner.

Sanjay Panicker, State General Secretary of the association, said the initiative considers both social responsibility and business sustainability. The banners are primarily printed on a polycotton sheet, sourced from companies in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu. After use, these companies will take back the sheets for recycling at their facilities. The used sheets must be collected and handed over soon after use to ensure proper processing.

Following the elections, the collection of flex banners will be carried out in collaboration with local self-government bodies, Suchitwa Mission, Kudumbashree, Haritha Karma Sena, Clean Kerala Company, voluntary organisations, and political parties. The sheets will be gathered before they become damaged, and the ink will be removed. Once processed, the material is converted into a cotton-like substance and then spun into yarn, which is used to manufacture new sheets.

The association estimates that three crore square feet of polycotton will be printed for the local body elections and hopes to collect the entire quantity.

To support the recycling effort, the Sign Printing Industries Association will launch a ₹1 crore project on a one-acre site in the industrial park in Kannur. The facility will be capable of recycling all the polycotton sheets used across Kerala. The association plans to form a society to operate the project in collaboration with the government, with commissioning scheduled for January, Panicker said.