Bamboo replaces plastic, giving Goa polls an eco-friendly touch

Electioneering in Goa went green this year, with bamboo products replacing plastic items for the majority of poll-related paraphernalia.
According to Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, the focus this time was to keep the electioneering as plastic-free as possible and utilise eco-friendly materials in the polling process.

“We have used baskets made out of bamboo. Even the thread was largely made from bamboo. These were all made by artisans from Goa. We had procured them through the Department of Handicraft. So it has been a very welcome change for this election,” Kunal said.
Poll-related material was given to official polling teams in the fancy bamboo-woven bags when they departed to their respective polling stations on Monday evening – instead of the standard plastic containers that have been the norm in the past.
As the Officer above suggested, even the thread, which was used to tie poll paraphernelia, was made of woven bamboo splinters.

“Even during the voter education exercise, we were trying to discard the use of plastic materials. Our banners were made of cloth rather than flex items. So we had minimised the use of plastic items and maximised the use of eco-friendly materials,” Kunal said.
Elections for two Lok Sabha seats and three assembly by-polls were held in Goa on April 23.