If you’ve ever been to a huge sporting event such as a marathon, you’re probably aware of the massive amount of plastic waste that gets left behind. The London marathon is usually no different, but this year, the organizers arranged for participants to be handed edible pods made of seaweed extracts instead of a plastic water bottle. The Ooho! Capsules, as they’re called, can be bitten to release the liquid inside and the cover can also be swallowed. However, if runners do not want to eat the casing, they can throw it on the floor as the pods are designed to biodegrade within six weeks, compared to the 450 years it takes for plastic bottles to decompose. The decision to switch to seaweed-based pods is said to have saved over 200,000 plastic water bottles from being wasted and could inspire other major sporting events to do the same.
The London Marathon replaced plastic bottles with edible seaweed pouches
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