LHV Women’s Run (Maijooks) abandons waste generation from disposable packaging

Estonia's largest women's recreational sports event brings more than ten thousand big and small exercise enthusiasts to Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. Chief Organizer Mati Lilliallik says this large-scale event that has been taking place since 1988 has played a vital role in shaping exercise related trends among women.   

 

Furthermore, the organizers are contributing more and more to the challenge of carrying out sporting events with the smallest possible environmental footprint. “Reusable cups and tableware by Ringo constitute an excellent way to prevent thousands of disposable packagings from piling up during a large-scale event. It would be really foolish to discard packagings used only for a moment at the water stop and in the food court area.”

 

Reusable cups are used both at the water stop on the Women’s Run track and at the Health Fair on the Song Festival Grounds. As this constitutes a pilot project, visitors will not be charged a deposit for the cups and tableware. All cups and tableware (including knives and forks) must be placed in Ringo’s yellow collection bins after use. At the water stop, used cups must be disposed of in relevant collection box or in the collection net installed next to the track. Do not throw your Ringo tableware in a garbage can! 

 

“If runners embrace the new packaging solution and the cups stay intact at the water stop, we will certainly consider ways to service all other events organized by us with only reusable packaging,” said the Chief Organizer of LHV Women’s Run.
Bring your whole family to LHV Women’s Run as there will be activities for everyone!

According to Janek Balõnski, Co-Founder of the reusable packaging company Ringo Eco, LHV Women’s Run presents an excellent opportunity to introduce to families the habit of utilizing reusable packagings and try out servicing large numbers of visitors in a short amount of time. “Ringo’s logic is simple - instead of recycling or disposing of items, the lifespan of any packaging is extended by washing it and sending it out to be used again,” explained Balõnski. “Every participant in LHV Women’s Run can make their own significant contribution to preserving the living environment for us all." 

 

Ringo Eco is a reusable packaging company that 60 restaurants thus far have joined. Their product portfolio currently contains 30 reusable package items. There are currently a total of 120 return points in Tallinn and Tartu, with the number growing every week. Technical preparations are currently underway to kick start the largest laundromat in the Nordic countries and to commence cooperating with food producers in Rimi Hypermarkets. During the course of 2022, the company hopes to prevent 1 million disposable packages from entering the market.