Concerns rise over excessive use of disposable cups at marathons

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With the return of marathon season, concerns have surfaced regarding the excessive consumption of disposable cups during such events.

Approximately 200,000 disposable cups are discarded annually across Korea's three major marathon events – the Seoul Marathon, Chuncheon Marathon, and JTBC Seoul Marathon, as reported by Wiperth, an environmental group and the organizers of the marathon events.

During a full marathon, there are typically eight water supply stations, each dispensing over 8,000 cups of water, and half-marathons feature three to four stations with similar cup usage.

A report released by the environmental group Greenpeace in November last year unveiled that each paper cup's single-use emits 45.2 grams of carbon. Comparatively, traveling one kilometer by car emits 210 grams of carbon. Consequently, participants consuming water from disposable cups five times during a race emit carbon equivalent to a kilometer of car travel.

In that respect, environmental groups assert that organizers of marathon events should consider using multi-use cups instead of disposable cups.

Hwang Seung-yong, a representative of Wiperth, emphasized the need to consider environmentally friendly options that runners can participate in.

“By substituting just one water fountain with multi-use cups, we can reduce disposable waste by at least 20,000 pieces,” Hwang said. “Efforts should be underway to change this norm into a more environment-friendly way,” he added.

The group took charge of a water fountain at a JTBC marathon held in November last year, providing water in multi-use cups. Approximately 23,000 multi-use cups were utilized during the race and subsequently collected for washing and repackaging.

According to Wiperth, a single multi-use cup can be reused up to 80 times.

However, cost remains a significant hurdle. While a disposable paper cup costs around 10 won (1 cent) per cup, a multi-use cup, including cleaning and operating expenses, amounts to approximately 350 won. This cost disparity presents limitations in transitioning to multi-use cups entirely.

Hwang stressed that if disposable products are used, the environmental groups will urge organizers to sign an agreement with centers dedicated to recycling, making efforts to ensure recycling surpasses a specified percentage. The recycling rate for paper cups used at the event currently stands at a mere 5 percent.