KOCHI: The all-party meeting held in Durbar hall on Tuesday has given its in-principle nod to ban flex hoardings in the city. The production of flex hoardings made of PVC has increased manifold in the state which will eventually result in increased pollution.To counter this, a study was held by the committee with Additional Chief Secretary, Law Secretary, Trade and Commerce Secretary and Executive director, Shuchitwa Mission as its members.
The committee evaluated the negative side of the usage of flex and the employment issues that will surface if the flexes are banned.As per the committee’s observation, the flex material which is used commonly is a type of plastic which cannot be recycled. It can only be burned or dumped. PVC which is used for making flex is a dangerous chemical substance as it contains chlorine which will emit dioxin and furan which are highly toxic. Instead of flex board, the committee suggested PVC-free poly ethylene or similar substances which can be recycled.
Since the advertisement boards made out of poly ethylene can be recycled, there will not be much environmental hazards and no major issues in the employment part.Since these materials have almost the same price as PVC, there shouldnt be any massive negative impact.Other recommendations by the committee includes, stopping the use of flex for political, religious, government and private programmes.
Instead, environment friendly materials should be used and it should be labelled as eco-friendly and PVC-free.
When banners are made, they should have the expiry date and all the details of the manufacturer.
There should also be a printing number and the banners should also be retrieved by the manufacturers after use.An extra Re 1 should be taken from the customer during the time of printing and it should be returned only at the time of returning the flex.Once the customer gives back the flex, it should be returned to the supplier by the printing presses.