Runners taking part in one of north Wales’ largest sports events have been threatened with disqualification if they drop litter during the race.
Organisers of Sunday’s Conwy Half Marathon state that the measures have been introduced in a bid to tackle the “increasing problem” of plastic waste.
According to the Run Wales website, participants run the risk of being “taken off the results” if seen improperly discarding their rubbish.
Instead, the organisers suggest runners leave their litter at the nearest water station or with the closest marshal when a bin is not available.
The popular race is now in its 11th year and is expected to host 3,000 runners.
Run Wales is one of a growing number of race organisers that are implementing strict new rules to help reduce the environmental impact of sporting events.
In April 2019, the London Marathon introduced several measures to tackle plastic pollution after more than 350,000 bottles were collected for recycling in 2018.
These included using plastic bottles made wholly or partly from recycled plastic and the use of edible water pods made from seaweed extracts.
The pouches, made by London-based start-up Skipping Rocks Lab, were made using a thin natural seaweed membrane.
The Ooho! capsules were designed. to be bitten to release the liquid inside, while the cover could also be swallowed.
“The marathon is a milestone ... we are hoping we will demonstrate that it can be used at scale in the future,” Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, one of the startup’s founders, told CNN.
