17 September 2018|07 Muharram 1440
Plastic water bottles and plastic cups are always available at water stations for thirsty participants and the track itself often ends up littered with discarded receptacles. Runners need to stay hydrated but these plastic bottles, are no good for the environment.
Harrow Half Marathon in London yesterday became the first running event in the UK to replace water bottles.
Runners received water packaged in edible seaweed pouches instead of PET bottles.
Far from letting runners go thirsty, the event offered participants little ‘nip and sip’ pouches, made from edible seaweed.
These pouches are 100% natural, biodegradable and look like little blobs of hydrating goodness.
The sachets are edible and safe to be swallowed, or, if they are discarded, will reportedly decompose into their natural components between four and six weeks, whether in the natural environment or in landfill.
Organisers say in its ambition to be the first ‘plastics-free half marathon’, it replaced conventional plastic bottles at water stations along the route with ‘OOHO’, the brand name for the biodegradable and edible sachets made from a 100 percent plant and seaweed-based membrane.
Skipping Rocks Lab, the London-based start-up behind OOHO, says it has focused on creating edible, seaweed-based membranes filled with water and made from an abundant natural resource that disappears “as quickly as natural food waste”.
Skipping Rocks Lab has trialed the sachets at several sports events, festivals and functions and says that the product will “revolutionise the water-on-the-go market”. The sachets can also be used for other products and markets, including soft drinks, spirits and cosmetics.
The firm says the proprietary material is “cheaper to produce than plastic, uses less energy and produces less CO2.”
In addition to removing the plastics from the course, they also supplied finishers with reusable and refillable plastic water bottles.
