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Paris Olympics: Games equipment heads for ‘second life’ after the sporting extravaganza
- Paris promised to do things differently and sustainably, including using temporary venues and equipment that can be recycled or repurposed
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![The 14,000 mattresses made from recycled plastic used in the Olympic Village will go to the French army, while their cardboard bases will be recycled. Photo: Reuters](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/74a585af-695e-44e3-b394-327c61883817_fa350f19.jpg?itok=HmhqYDAM&v=1723458634)
The stands have fallen quiet and the Athletes’ Village is emptying. What happens to all the equipment now the 2024 Paris Olympics are over?
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Organisers have plans for it.
Over decades, the Olympics have forged a reputation for monumental waste, with whole stadiums sometimes left to rot once the two-week sporting extravaganza moves on.
But Paris promised to do things differently, using temporary venues to cut construction work but also forcing suppliers to think about a “second life” for the equipment they supplied, from tennis balls to the sand for the beach volleyball.
![Georgina Grenon, the Paris Olympics’ director of sustainability, says 90 per cent of the six million items used have “second-life” plans. Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Georgina Grenon, the Paris Olympics’ director of sustainability, says 90 per cent of the six million items used have “second-life” plans. Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/ae85927c-1212-4ca8-8b24-5a2b738a4e1b_681893dd.jpg)
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