NOOSA TRIATHLON MEDIA RELEASE: 23 October, 2018
In an exciting new initiative, the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival has joined the circular economy, with fully compostable ‘BioCups’ to be provided for the 180,000 athlete hydration cups used during the five day festival ...(in partnership with Plastic Free Noosa!)
Instead of using disposable plastic cups for hydration of our athletes, this year we have invested in cups that are sustainably sourced and made from renewable plant resource.
The move to fully compostable athlete hydration cups at the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival, a partnership between IRONMAN Oceania, Tourism Noosa and Plastic Free Noosa, means that instead of the cups going to landfill, they will be commercially composted and in eight weeks turned into a nutrient rich compost that can be used to grow more crops, returning nutrients to the soil.
IRONMAN Oceania Managing Director Dave Beeche said that the sustainability of all events and playing an active role in the three R’s - reducing, recycling and reusing is a high priority of the organisation moving into the future.
“As an organisation with a large portfolio of events across Oceania we recognise that we have both a logistical and educational role to play in waste reduction. The use of compostable cups is one part of a bigger organisational strategy. We are looking at all aspects of our operation and are open to new and exciting partnerships to find ways to reduce our environmental footprint.”
Mr Beeche said all athlete hydration cups from the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival will be collected in specially signed bins provided on course and at finish lines, and post event they will be transported by Cleanaway to the Earthborn organic recycling facility in Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast to be turned into a valuable source of compost.
“This initiative at the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival is about closing the loop for paper cups and is a very significant step in the future of waste reduction at our events”
“This one initiative the event will divert 1.4 tonnes from landfill and create 7,530 litre bags of nutrient rich compost. We look forward to working with the athletes competing at the Noosa Festival, opening up the conversation about sustainability at our events and encouraging them to work with us on this initiative to help in reducing waste going to landfill,” he said.
Chad Buxton, Co-ordinator of Plastic Free Noosa welcomes the move and is excited to be a part of this initiative.
"We are stoked that not only are IRONMAN considering what their cups are made of but also where they end up - turning them into a resource instead of rubbish. This represents a huge impact and the innovative commitment we hope to see with more events in Australia and overseas."
The Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland, is proud to support Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival which features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. Your perfect next event is in Queensland where live events combine with the most incredible destinations, and life is beautiful one day, perfect the next.
Find out more visit Noosa Triathlon
Further information contact: Noel McMahon, IRONMAN Media Manager (Oceania) +61 455 091 476, [email protected]
About IRONMAN
A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon Majors Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN ® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Wanda Sports Holding
Wanda Sports Holding is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media and marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Led by President and CEO Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports and Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.
Noel McMahon
Media Manager (Oceania)
