Marathons are a celebration of human achievement, and the recent London marathon was the platform upon which Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge demonstrated once again why he is the greatest marathoner.
Yet behind all the pomp and festivities that come with such events, there is a persistent problem: the piles of waste generated, especially plastic waste. Plastic bottles and discarded wrappings are an eyesore during such meets, be it a sporting event, or a music festival.
Street littered with plastic bottles after the London Marathon
According to organizers, the London marathon used an estimated 704,000 plastic bottles, which is an improvement from 2018, when 920,000 were used.
To reduce the number of (single-use) plastic bottles at the marathon, and hopefully in future marathons, the London marathon partnered with the Skipping Rocks Lab to use their Ooho pouches.
Ooho are liquid-filled pouches that were made available to runners at mile 23, with 30,000 such pouches brought for the race.
Holding between 20 to 150mL, these pouches made from a material called Notpla (Not Plastic?), which is itself made from brown seaweed. These pouches are edible and biodegradable, taking between four to six weeks to completely degrade.
Simply then, the runners bit into the pouch to get the liquid contained, and if they didn’t mind the tastelessness of the pouch, could just swallow it afterwards.
Beyond races, Ooho can also used in other sectors, as it can also hold condiments and sauces, alcohol, and water.
The London marathon was its big experiment, to assess whether it can be used on a massive scale, and not remain a fantastic idea for only a niche.
Do not thus be surprised if Ooho-like technology comes to you in a few years; Skipping Rocks wants to make produce nets, sachets, and sealable films from notpla.
