Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is aiming to crack down on the amount of waste accumulated from regional events including from Ironman Australia.
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Council group manager Liesa Davies said major event waste management is a challenge and council would continue to work with Ironman and other event managers to explore options to limit waste and improve recycling.
“We know from our own events what a huge challenge it is to minimise waste and avoiding contamination of any recycling bins that are used,” she said.
“We are already having discussions with Ironman around options for their 2019 event including paper cups and food organics recovery.”
Ms Davies said community groups who volunteered on the run course aid stations were encouraged to recycle items under the container deposit scheme.
She said there were no recycling bins on the bike leg, as the products used by the athletes for this section of the course were mostly non-recyclable.
Ironman Australia race director Ben Herbert said organisers are acutely aware of the responsibility to protect the local environment, to clean and re-instate all areas utilised during the event.
Mr Herbert said over the next two years organisers will bring in a plan to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
He said a new initiative was piloted at one aid station this year, where all disposal bottles (cycling bidons) taken out on course were collected and then returned to the event’s warehouse post event for distribution to a recycling facility.
In addition to this plan, Mr Herbert said paper cups will be introduced at aid stations on course.
Mr Herbert said the onus is also on athletes to dispose of their waste correctly.
“They are required to dispose of all rubbish within a 500 metre zone of aid stations across the course for us to collect,” he said.
“We also have littering penalty for athletes, which can result in disqualification.
“Four athletes received littering penalties during the 2018 event.”
Mr Herbert said every effort has been made to leave the race course in the best condition as possible.
“We will continue to work with council and the community to do whatever is practical to keep Port Macquarie litter free and beautiful,” he said.
