Taking care of the city: where does the garbage go after the Moscow Marathon?

Taking care of the city: where does the garbage go after the Moscow Marathon?

Tens of thousands of runners leave behind a trail of plastic bottles and gel packs.

During and after marathons, it is not uncommon to see impressive piles of garbage. Most of it is plastic: water and isotonics bottles, energy gel packs accumulate along the routes in prohibitive quantities.

The organizers of the Moscow Marathon took a responsible approach to this issue and together with the Russian environmental operator in partnership with the EcoLine group of companies organized separate waste collection during the race in 2020. In total, 60 cubic meters of plastic, glass, cardboard and tetrapack were collected.

Why should marathons become more environmentally friendly?

The problem of recycling plastic and other recyclables is not new. According to the UN, every year the mankind produces about 300 million tons of plastic waste, and since the 1950s about 8.3 billion tons have been thrown away. And more than half of that plastic ended up in landfills or in the environment.

Long races, including major marathons, where many people gather, also throw away a lot of trash that could be recycled and reused. Plastic, paper, and glass all pile up along the running routes, creating mountains.

The responsibility for the garbage in this case falls on the shoulders of the organizers of the competitions. However, even today, despite the aggravated environmental situation, not everyone takes it with due seriousness.

“If the marathon itself involves people in a healthy lifestyle, then separate collection helps to think about its environmental friendliness. Ecologization should be an obligatory part of the format of all mass events, so that Muscovites could see that separate waste collection becomes an obligatory component of the habitual life of the city and its residents”, – said Elena Vishnyakova, Deputy Director of EcoLine.

How was waste collection organized at the Moscow Marathon 2020?

In 2020, the Moscow Marathon took a responsible approach to the issue of separate waste collection: special double-flow containers were installed along the entire route. Both runners and spectators could use them: waste that could be sent for recycling was placed separately from those that could not be reused. Bright blue bins were set aside for plastic bottles, so athletes could throw away their trash right on the run.

When the marathon was over, the race volunteers managed to collect almost 300 thousand bottles. After that all the waste was sent to EcoLine for sorting, where it will be separated by components and then sent to recycling companies for the production of new things and materials.

Today, it’s not only important to live a healthy lifestyle, but also to help our planet. Everyone can start by making small changes in their own routine and do their part to help solve environmental problems.