PRESS RELEASE: Junk the bunting! Australian Workers Party challenges political parties not to use plastic polling booth sheeting.

Junk the Bunting!: We call on political parties to be fair dinkum on use of polling booth plastics.

The Australian Workers Party (AWP) is calling on all political organisations to refuse to use any single use plastic bunting on polling booths on election day as a sign of their commitment to the environment.

AWP Senate candidate for NSW Mark Ptolemy said, “we have all seen polling booths covered in the garish single use plastic sheeting or bunting, screaming for us to vote for the featured candidate and party.

“Bunting is made of single use plastic that has no use whatsoever after election day. It is bundled up and taken to the tip. Sometimes bits of this rubbish cling to the fences of local polling places for months. It’s simply plastic waste and its ugly.

“We are challenging all political parties not to use this environmentally damaging junk. If they are fair dinkum about the environment, they will refuse to use it,” Ptolemy said.

AWP Senate candidate for Queensland, Greg Bradley is supporting the call, “This ridiculous prop of political ‘showbiz’, plastered around polling booths, mainly by the major parties is terrible environmentally. Hundreds of kilometres of this rubbish is strewn around on election day at polling places all around the country and it has zero use afterward. It goes to land fill. We are calling on all parties not to use this plastic junk; and we are calling on all environmental groups to back our call: no booth bunting. Let’s end this stupid practice.”

According to the AWP Senate candidate for Victoria, Narelle Everard this is an opportunity for political parties to show good faith to the community regarding the environment.

“By refusing to pollute, it’s a first step that political parties can demonstrate to the public that they mean what they say when it comes to the environment.

“They can talk all they want about being environmentally friendly, but actions speak louder than words. By accepting our challenge not to use plastic polling booth bunting, political parties can show the community they actually care about the environment,” Ms. Everard said.

Plastic booth bunting has been used by political parties since the 1990s. It is made of single use plastic and is not recyclable. It has a one-off usage and is taken to land fill after election day.

Ends.

Media contacts: Mark Ptolemy 0414 993873, Narelle Everard 0448 747 858, Greg Bradley 0418 709 119
www.australianworkersparty.org