Ernakulam launches drive to turn old clothes into poll-day mobile holders

If you have any used clothes lying idle at home, you too can join an innovative campaign by the District Administration, Ernakulam Suchitwa Mission, and Haritha Keralam Mission, Ernakulam, and help make the polls greener. All you need to do is drop off the clothes at the designated collection centres, where they will be given a fresh lease of life by being refurbished into mobile deposit facilities outside polling stations. This is not all. As part of efforts to ensure environmentally friendly elections, souvenirs will also be crafted from paper and plastic waste generated after the polls.

“Every election in Kerala is a green election, with the green protocol strictly followed across the State. We are launching two new initiatives: an eco-friendly mobile deposit repository and handcrafted souvenirs made from waste,” said District Collector G. Priyanka.

With the tagline ‘Wardrobe-il idle, Polling booth-il viral’, meaning ‘clothes lying idle in your wardrobe can go viral at polling booths’, the collection drive will be launched soon.

The Election Commission had earlier issued instructions to provide mobile deposit facilities outside polling stations. Instead of using new materials, the idea is to repurpose donated clothes to create these mobile holders, the Collector said.

A three-day collection drive will be held at the Civil Station in Ernakulam, where people can donate clothing items such as kurtas, dresses, and bedsheets. These will be used to create hangable mobile repositories made entirely of pure cotton cloth, designed to hold 9–12 phones.

“The items must be clean, and only those made entirely of pure cotton will be accepted. Materials containing synthetic or blended fabrics will not be permitted. Through this, we aim to send a message about sustainability and upcycling,” she said.

There are 3,148 polling booths in Ernakulam, and around 3,200 mobile depositories made of cotton cloth will be created. A tailoring unit of Kudumbashree has already been identified to produce these storage pouches, she added. In addition, waste generated after the polls will be used to create souvenirs such as pen stands, paperweights, lanterns, and pots.

“The election souvenir is yet another unique concept introduced by the Collector. Paper and plastic waste generated after the elections will be collected to create these items. We are currently in discussions with NGOs. Our focus is on collection right now,” said Sheethal G. Mohan, nodal officer for Green Election and district coordinator of Suchitwa Mission.