The London Marathon Goes Green Reducing Plastic Waste
Before you start saying how gross this sounds or wondering if the water will smell, think about how environmentally friendly and beneficial this could be.
On Sunday, more than 41,000 people will run the London Marathon, and upon reaching mile 23, they will be handed edible pods made of seaweed extract that is filled with a sports drink instead of a plastic water bottle or cup.
The seaweed pods are the race organizers’ way of reducing the amount of plastic generated during an endurance run as well as a goal of cutting the number of plastic bottle use by 200,000.
The seaweed capsules are made by London-based startup company called Skipping Rocks Lab. Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, one of the startup’s founders, said that the company is using the building blocks of seaweed to create the pouches, removing all the “green stuff” and “smelly stuff” to create a container that biodegrades within six weeks if they are not eaten. Compared to plastic that takes roughly 450 years to decompose, this is a much better alternative.
Sunday’s race will mark the first time the seaweed pouches will be used at a marathon.
In addition to the edible liquid pods, Skipping Rocks Lab has also been working on green alternatives to cling film and plastic liners used in throwaway coffee cups.
By: Maytinee Kramer
