This runner was bothered by blizzard of disposable cups. She invented something better

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Associated Press or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: After witnessing the massive waste from single-use cups during a marathon, runner Kristina Smithe created Hiccup, a company supplying reusable silicone hydration cups for races
• Since its launch, Hiccup Earth has provided 70,000 cups to 137 events, replacing nearly 1 million disposable ones
• At a recent Minneapolis race, runners used her flexible, washable cups, collected post-race for cleaning and reuse

🔭 The context: Marathons and other mass sporting events generate enormous waste from disposable cups — often coated in plastic, making them non-compostable
• With billions of such cups discarded annually, alternatives have been slow to take hold due to cost and logistical hurdles
• Hiccup offers a scalable model: cups are rented, collected, and sanitized for reuse, demonstrating a circular economy approach to a traditionally linear system

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Reducing single-use plastics is a key strategy in lowering carbon emissions and minimizing landfill volume
• Hiccup’s model addresses both issues by reducing production demand and post-use pollution
• While reusable solutions face cost and convenience barriers, their environmental payoff grows with scale and adoption, aligning with broader waste-reduction goals

⏭️ What's next: Hiccup aims to expand its reach, bringing reusable hydration solutions to more races across the U.S. and potentially beyond
• Adoption hinges on convincing race organizers of the long-term sustainability benefits despite higher upfront costs
• Broader acceptance could also influence similar zero-waste innovations in other disposable-heavy sectors like food service and retail

💬 One quote: “It’s just a solution to a problem that’s long overdue,” — Kristina Smithe, founder of Hiccup

📈 One stat: Hiccup’s operations have prevented an estimated 902,000 single-use cups from going to landfill, using just 30 gallons of water to wash every 1,500 reusable units

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