In a move promoting sustainability, recycling and environmental responsibility, South Australia’s Lumary City-Bay Fun Run became the latest organisation to give single-use plastics the flick.
This year, South Australia’s biggest fun run event, which returned on Sunday 18 September, had formed a partnership with local paper and board packaging manufacturer, Detpak, to help reduce the amount of plastics at the event.
Instead of plastic cups, 50,000 of Detpak’s RecycleMe paper cups were used along the route. The unique next-gen lining in RecycleMe cups allows them to be recycled within existing infrastructure, and without additional investment from paper recycling plants.
The cups were then collected after the event and will be recycled back into paper products, such as wrapping and copy paper, by collection partners Shred-X and Opal Australian Paper.
“We’re pleased to see our RecycleMe cups being used at this iconic South Australian event,” said Matthew Taylor, group general manager of marketing at Detpak.
“Collected cups will be saved from landfill, and the valuable paper fibres will live again in other paper products. This is true recycling in action.”
The City-Bay is also moving to reduce to use of corflutes and will also use last year’s abandoned 2021 race numbers, which were printed prior to last year’s Covid-forced cancellation.
“It would have been irresponsible to bin these, so in the spirit of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, we will give them a life this year,” explained Joe Stevens, race director.
“It also resonates with our values of fun, family, fitness, community, inclusion, charity and sustainability. We want to be at the forefront of responsible change.”