There were a lot of posters being put up in Gozo last month – promoting everything from live nativity reenactments to The Penis Monologues. Many of them are attached to the metal utility poles with plastic zip ties. Long after the events are forgotten and the posters have fallen victim to wind and rain, those plastic straps remain.
They do photo-degrade after many months to the point where they break and become litter. In all likelihood some of them find their way to sea.
Most communities have some kind of postering by-law. Here is the Toronto Postering By-Law as an example. They don’t allow the use of zip ties, but they don’t expressly prohibit them either. I have been in only a handful of large cities in the past decade and my impression is that paste is a pretty common method of securing posters. Staples on wooden utility poles can quickly accumulate and become a dangerous eyesore. Using wheat paste is a better choice than staples or clear plastic tape.
Wheat- Paste Posters – The best video clips are here
Putting up posters is a resource intensive way to promote a cause or event but since it is inexpensive compared to buying time on radio or TV, it is an overused tactic. Word of mouth and social media marketing can probably do more to generate interest.
