Japan is known to be environmentally friendly and efficient. This can also be seen at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The country strives to minimize the negative impact on the environment, from the use of cardboard for athletes ’beds to medals by recycling garbage.
Quoted from WTTW, the medal podium is also made from recycled plastic. Even the name and logo of the event were recycled, and organizers chose not to change it after the 2020 Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Cardboard bed
Cardboard beds for athletes became the most interesting concern. Air Weave Co.Ltd which makes these beds explains that cardboard beds are meant to be easy to move around, and when the Olympics are over, they can be recycled. Although made of cardboard, this bed has technology and design that makes it capable of withstanding loads of up to 200 kilograms.
The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics aim to recycle 65% of the waste generated during the event. They will also reuse 99% of items purchased for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
A number of important moments at the Tokyo Olympics show how Japan has always put forward the smart concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle”, including the Olympic torch relay. The torchbearer was seen wearing a kit made from recycled plastic bottles.
The rest of the plastic became a podium
The Japanese public, although many did not support the government’s decision to hold the Olympics during the COVID-19 case surge, was fully involved in the eco-friendly campaign long before the outbreak.
All Japanese citizens dump plastic trash at garbage collection points housed at retailers and schools, donating 13 tonnes of material combined with another 11.5 tonnes. This plastic waste was collected and managed, and eventually turned into 98 Olympic medal podiums.
Interestingly, all of these podiums are the result of the production of 3D printing machines. Once the event is over, the event organizers will recycle the podium into bottles of shampoo and detergent.
Medals from tool trash
Athletes who step on a podium made of plastic will be given a medal that is also made from recycled materials. This medal represents all Japanese citizens, as the material was donated from electronic trash.
5,000 medals at the Tokyo Olympics are made of metal from used smartphones and electronic devices donated by Japanese citizens. Nearly 80,000 tons of gadgets were collected, consisting of 6 million cell phones, digital cameras, laptops, and other electronic waste.
"Once stripped, e-waste produces more than 30 kilograms of gold, 4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,700 kilograms of bronze," said the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics.
Other less visible eco -friendly efforts include agreements to procure renewable electricity from biomass power plants, and the use of electric vehicles to transport Olympic athletes and staff. It's cold!
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