Thiruvananthapuram: All festivals leave behind a trail of garbage. So do elections, often described as the festival of democracy.
As the loudspeakers fall silent and candidates retreat after campaigning, it is left to thousands of sanitation workers—mostly engaged by local bodies—to clear the huge quantities of waste generated during the campaign, much of it plastic-based.
Already burdened with their daily workload, sanitation workers—popularly known as the Haritha Karma Sena—have to toil for days collecting, sorting and transporting posters, flex boards, flags and handbills to dumping yards and processing facilities.
Though campaigning is increasingly digital and even AI-driven, posters and banners remain the most visible symbols of electioneering in the country.
In Kerala, the Election Commission had issued a Green Protocol ahead of the campaign for the April 9 Assembly elections.
The poll body had roped in agencies such as the Suchitwa Mission and the State Solid Waste Management Project to implement the protocol.
The guidelines fixed responsibility on stakeholders, stating that violations could invite penalties, including on-the-spot fines.
However, enforcement of such measures is often lax, as local authorities tend to avoid friction with political actors involved in campaigns.
Even so, officials of the Suchitwa Mission claim that enforcement has helped reduce irresponsible practices to some extent.
Images from across the state showed that soon after polling concluded, sanitation workers in large numbers swung into action around polling booths, clearing campaign material.
In the days that followed, despite scorching heat, workers continued sweeping, collecting and transporting waste in urban areas. In semi-urban and rural regions, however, progress has been slower due to a shortage of manpower.
A sanitation worker in the state capital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it would take several days to clear the entire volume of waste.
“With the intense daytime heat, we divide our work between early mornings and evenings,” the worker said.
The capacity of waste storage and processing facilities has emerged as a more serious concern, with many centres already operating at full capacity.
The campaign also generated large quantities of glossy pamphlets and handbills distributed to households, which eventually enter the public waste stream.
Flaws in Kerala’s waste management system have long been a major civic issue.
Globally, scientific waste management has become critical for environmental, social and economic sustainability, especially with the rising share of non-biodegradable and electronic waste.
After years of criticism, Kerala has made some progress in recent years by strengthening scientific waste management practices.
Through coordinated efforts involving state agencies, increased funding and public participation, waste management has been taken up in a campaign mode.
Although local bodies bear primary responsibility, the state government has launched multiple initiatives aimed at achieving the goal of a “waste-free Kerala.”
As part of this effort, material collection, processing and recycling facilities have been established across 93 urban local bodies and nearly 941 village panchayats.
These measures have made door-to-door collection and waste segregation more systematic. However, the system continues to come under strain during peak periods such as festivals—and now, elections.
