Ooho edible water bottle: thousands of seaweed pods will replace single-use plastics at the London Marathon

As a rule, the consequences of a marathon are a sea ​​of ​​plastic waste. But in order to make the event more sustainable, the London Marathon will this year replace thousands of plastic water bottles with bags of edible seaweed.

More than 40,000 people plan to run the marathon on Sunday. And they will experience something a little different when they reach the Mile 23 – Ooho Algae capsules instead of plastic bottles or cups. The capsules can be filled with a variety of liquids, but those provided at the marathon will be filled with Lucozade Sport, an electrolyte drink.

The small capsules are made by the London startup Skipping Rocks Lab. They are designed to be both edible and biodegradable – the pods themselves have no taste and, if they are not consumed, they biodegrade in six weeks.

According to the London Marathon Events (LME), the marathon will be the largest ever test of Ooho pods. More than 30,000 capsules will be distributed to runners at Mile 23, who can take them with volunteers and simply bite them to release the liquid. According to Lucozade, "the experience is similar to that of eating a cherry tomato".

LME affirms its commitment to zero waste by December 2020. "We are passionate about the concept of" Eliminate, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle "and we are fully committed to reducing our environmental impact," said Hugh Brasher, director of # 39; event. "We believe we are organizing the best mass participation events in the world and we want to match that by leading the world in sustainability of mass participation events."

S & # 39; s attack on sustainability over 26.2 miles

Ooho pods are not the only way the London Marathon attacks sustainable development:

• The marathon introduced a closed loop recycling project collect the bottles along the route and return them directly to a bottling plant to make new bottles.
• There will be 19 beverage dispensing stations during the race, instead of the standard 26, to reduce the number of plastic bottles by more than 215,000 compared to the race last year.
• Bottle straps made of 90% recycled material will be tested by 700 runners. "Encouraging runners to carry their own water can potentially dramatically change the way hydration is provided during mass run events," said LME.
• Three stations will use compostable cups rather than bottles, which will be collected and composted after the race.
• "Drop zones" will be installed throughout the course to improve the bottle cleaning process and ensure the recycling of each bottle.
• Specially designed capes for the start and end of the race will be used by 500 runners to eliminate the need for plastic personal items.
• Runners' race numbers will be printed upon arrival, rather than pre-printed, to eliminate the process for runners who do not travel to the start.

A number of other sustainable measures are being tested this year, including eco-efficient tours, garbage collection for discarded items, 100% recyclable bottles, digital racing materials. and the elimination of shopping bags after the race.