Marathoners leave behind 10mt of garbage

Mumbai: The Mumbai Marathon held in the city on Sunday left behind 10 metric tonnes of trash, so much so that the BMC had already appointed contractors to clear the waste. Garbage — mainly reusable plastic items, collected from areas such as Marine Drive, CST and Churchgate where marathon-related events were held – was distributed to self-help groups. The civic body will collect garbage clearing expenses from the event organiser. 

Incidentally, last year’s Mumbai Marathon had left behind nearly 6.5 metric tonne of garbage, which means the quantity of leftover trash has increased this year.

A solid waste management  department official said, “We have collected nearly 10 metric tonnes of trash which includes plastic cups, bottles, papers and tetra-packs  from the ‘A’ ward of south Mumbai. The civic body had already appointed contractors for picking up the trash soon after the marathon. Non-degradable items were given to women’s self-help groups while the degradable items were sent to the dumping ground.”

During both the 41km Marathon and 21km Half Run, participants were offered packaged drinking water, tetra-packs containing juices, biscuits and sponges after every 20 minutes. Meanwhile, a 20-foot-tall installation created out of used plastic bottles was put up by a privates packaged drinking water company to spread awareness.