With approximately 60,000 runners set to take part in the London Marathon this weekend, packaging waste experts at Business Waste say an estimated 432,000 hydration gels could be binned during Sunday’s event, generating around 16.2 tonnes of waste.
Business Waste says that energy gel sachets are used by over 72% of marathon runners, with a recommended average of ten sachets for the 26.2-mile race. The company adds that most gel packets are packaged in multi-layered materials combining plastic and aluminium foil, making them difficult to separate and the sachets hard to recycle, meaning disposed sachets will likely be landfilled or incinerated.
Business Waste adds that the products often come with tear-off tabs which are commonly ripped off and end up littered. Due to the small size, these tabs are hard for post-race teams to clear up and can end up finding their way into our natural environment, contributing to microplastic pollution. Any whole or partial sachets that are littered present a risk to wildlife that are attracted to the sweet scent and taste of the gel residue inside.
The company urges hydration gel users to consider refillable gel pouches to reduce the amount of packaging created and binned; keep the tab of the energy sachet attached; always take their litter with them until they find a bin, and consider alternatives such as sweets, bananas and dates.
From an industry perspective, Business Waste recommends working with recycling specialists as the recycling of these sachets requires specific chemical processes to separate the plastic and foil. The company gives the example of TerraCycle, which has begun to provide specific collections of gel packets, and suggests that race organisers can work with local providers to help create dedicated collection points.
Other recommendations are for event organisers to work with gel brands to create refill stations and encourage the use of refillable pouches, and for brands to re-design packaging to ensure the tab remains attached, helping to reduce littering.
In related news, Amcor and Spadel customized a tethered cap for the premium water brand Wattwiller, designed to be recyclable and accessible to all consumers. The new closure is made of HDPE and designed to be recyclable with PET bottles.
Later the same month, TotalEnergies Corbion unveiled an embossed, label-free PLA bottle for the South Korean beverage market, designed to integrate into a closed-loop recycling system established with Sansu. By integrating brand identification into the bottle wall, TotalEnergies Corbion says the design allows bottles to enter recycling streams without additional processing, supporting cleaner material flows and higher-quality recycled output.
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