Mumbai: Around 46,000 participants are expected on January 20, at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. This year the number of runners have gone up by around 20 per cent. As the scale and popularity of the Marathon grows, the organisers feel the need to improve in many fronts and this year it has decided to reduce usage of plastics. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Procam International, CEO, Dilip Jayaram said, “We will reduce use of plastic this year as well as improve on waste management.”
The organiser is planning of reducing 60,000 plus plastic bottles across the event. “We have designed water filling stations in the holding areas,” Jayaram said. He added on the course, runners can refill their own bottles or use recycle paper glasses. This is in line with Procam International’s plan to reduce carbon emission foot prints. Another step in this direction is management of waste, Tata Mumbai Marathon has partnered with Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to manage waste aptly.
“We have decided to work with MCGM to manage waste. This waste that will be collected at the marathon will be segregated as dry and wet waste. All this waste will be put down for the last mile management by 6 pm on the race day. This means all waste generated due to marathon will be cleared by 6 pm with the help of MCGM and its staff,” he explained. Further, the organiser of the marathon will handover refreshments in cloth bags and in recyclable cardboard boxes.
This year the marathon will use cloth signages instead of flex branding in key locations. Commenting on the costing due to this move, Jayaram said, “There is a cost escalation with this move. It is way too expensive but we had to get better over time.” He added that such activities is need of the hour.
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