A genius idea, in fairness.
The London Marathon handed out edible water bottles to runners on Sunday in a bid to reduce plastic waste.
The event, like most marathons, often results in tonnes of plastic lining the streets as thirsty participants discard bottles while they run.
Almost one million plastic bottles were handed out to runners last year. This year, however, organisers were adamant to reduce the amount of waste generated by the marathon.
So, they introduced Ooho! capsules, a tasteless seaweed pouch filled with water that can be consumed entirely.
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Created by London-based startup Skipping Rocks Lab, the water is contained in the capsule by a thin membrane made from seaweed, but without “all the green stuff and the smelly stuff.”
One of the business’s founders, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, said that they used the building blocks of seaweed to ensure that the capsule is completely tasteless, just like water.
“The marathon is a milestone,” he told CNN. “We are hoping we will demonstrate that it can be used at scale in the future.”
Garcia Gonzalez and his business parter Pierre-Yves Paslier said that their mission is to “make plastic packaging disappear.”
As well as the edible water capsules, they are also working on more sustainable alternatives to clingfilm and the plastic often used in takeaway coffee cups.
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Paslier said that although the capsules are ideal for athletes, they could also be used during festivals.
“Espresso Martinis have been the most popular product at festivals, where eating the packaging is also part of the experience,” he said.
London Marathon hope to reduce their plastic bottle count by 200,000.
Bottles were still available to buy in shops along this year’s marathon route, but organisers have said that any bottles handed out should be partially made from recycled plastic.
All discarded bottles were collected and recycled at the end of the day.
You can find out more about Ooho! here.
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