Cleaning up after the election campaign

The midterm elections produced many unexpected results — the highest voter turnout; candidates who were not expected to win, won; those who surveys placed in the bottom list moved way up the winning dozen; the youth vote changed the plans of many politicians; and celebrities, despite the familiarity of their names, lost to almost-unknowns.

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But one thing remained — the mountains of waste from campaign-related paraphernalia and the litter voters left around the polling places. The volume of waste is staggering, and it is a vivid reflection of the environmental cost of our democratic process.

The day after the midterm elections, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected more than 11 tons of campaign-related garbage across Metro Manila. In Manila alone, at least 12 truckloads of posters, tarpaulins, and other election paraphernalia have been cleared.

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga has instructed the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and its regional offices to lead a nationwide clean-up drive and recovery efforts targeting campaign paraphernalia. She said these materials would end up polluting waterways and degrading landscapes, leading to increased pollution, habitat destruction, and a decline in biodiversity.