I thank Procam International for releasing the waste audit of the Mumbai Marathon 2018 https://tatamumbaimarathon.procamrunning.in/static-assets/pdf/waste-management.pdf. About 5.5 Tonnes of waste was reported as per the audit. Here is my analysis of the waste, where it ends up, how to read the numbers and what could be done better. Food waste 1638 kg - Post event food waste was generated at the holding area by the runners. There was no segregation at source. Food was segregated later by the hired staff from its plastic/paper packaging. It does not include the packets which were taken out by the finishers or the food that was collected by the slum kids and beggars at Azad Maidan. If food is not packaged or given on plasticware, the effort in post event segregation can be much less. Isn't this a rather large amount of food waste? Why did runners not eat this food? In a country which tops the world in child malnutrition, shouldn't we waste less food? Perhaps, post event food needs a redesign? It is food for thought for not only organizers but also runners who wasted their food. Pet bottles 185 kg - Includes only the bottles generated at the holding area and finish. The bottles collected over the entire race route are not included in this count as they were collected by the municipal workers or rag pickers. Many bottles were thrown into the sea at the sea link by runners. They cannot be collected. Average weight of a 250 ml bottle is 7 grams. That amounts to less than 27,000 bottles. Since there were over 44,000 runners according to official estimates, the numbers are clearly partial and a small portion of the total bottle waste. Pet bottles are downcycled which means recycled plastic is of lower quality and functionality than the original material. Downcycling only extends the life of the plastic by a few years however they will never be made into another bottle and will ultimately end up in a landfill. Bottles manufactured with 100% recycled content will make it a closed loop process and can be made possible only through process improvements, legislations and their implementation - none of these is a reality yet. Tetrapak 504 kgs - Recyclability at the backend is based on the vendor. It is still not a widely accepted recyclable item. Bulk of the tetrapack is repurposed into roofing sheets, however the straw and the plastic cover is not included here. Since many runners throw away unfinished tetrapaks, the juice needs to be squeezed out manually (and is not accounted for in food waste). Tetrapaks disposed on the race route are not included in this figure. Electrolyte powder mixed in jugs and poured into cups can cut this waste and effort to zero. Plastic 489 kgs - Contains wrappers, straws, food plates, gel sachets and other plastics. Although it is sent for recycling, most of these items cannot be recycled or recovered. It is hence either landfilled or incinerated in cement kilns based on the geography. Flex Banners 1620 kgs - Flex is a non-recyclable material. It can be repurposed as roofing material for economically backward sections of society or bags, but eventually, it is a material destined for landfill. Flex is banned in Karnataka (Still pending implementation!). Organizers and sponsors must look at other sustainable options (perhaps electronic and reusable?) to advertise rather than use this non-recyclable material. Summarizing: The actual waste generated at TMM was much larger than what was generated at the holding/finish areas as route data was not accounted for. Flex and general plastic waste are non-recyclable and hence reject waste. Reducing single use disposables can result into a smaller waste footprint, cost and post event clean up effort. This is where the race organizers need to put their effort into when they think of effective waste management.