Cork local election candidate calls for use of recycled materials for posters

A GREEN Party candidate for the forthcoming local elections for Cork County Council has urged representatives standing in the elections to consider the material they’re using for election posters.

Candidates have started erecting their election posters across Cork this week.

Harriet Burgess, who is a first-time candidate running in the Macroom electoral area, is using fully recycled material in her posters for the campaign.

Ms Burgess said the recycled posters are slightly more expensive than new posters but that this was a small price to pay for reducing plastic.

“I understand that posters to print new cost around €7-8 and mine cost €10 approximately,” she said.

“I looked into how to minimise waste and single-use plastic as much as possible,” said the candidate.

“It is puzzling to me that in 2024, in the middle of a climate and biodiversity crisis that this is not the status quo for all political parties.”

Ms Burgess said that her party colleague, Green Party Senator and MEP candidate Pauline O’Reilly, had been pushing for a change to legislation on election materials.

“Until then, all political parties need to think about how old materials could be recycled.

“I would encourage all political parties to think about how to reduce waste on this campaign trail, and similarly, I would suggest to the electorate that if a local election candidate knocks on your door, that you ask them what they are doing to minimise pollution in this election.”

The candidate who is a practising barrister said that her election material would be bilingual, in Irish and English, as her electoral area included the Gaeltacht community of Múscraí.

“All candidates standing in Gaeltacht areas should in my view provide bilingual leaflets,” she said.