Thousands of edible water bottles were handed out at the London Marathon today in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

The aftermath of the marathon is usually a sea of plastic waste as thirsty runners attempt to stay hydrated by drinking from then discarding bottles of water as they go.

Bu for the 2019 London Marathon, organisers arranged for participants to be handed edible pods made of seaweed extracts as they tackled the gruelling 26.2-mile route.

The pouches, made by London-based startup Skipping Rocks Lab, were made using a thin natural seaweed membrane.

The Ooho! capsules can be bitten to release the liquid inside and the cover can also be swallowed.

London Marathon 2019 in pictures Show all 39 1 /39 London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures A gallery of the best London Marathon 2019 pictures. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures A boat passes underneath as runners cross Tower Bridge. AFP/Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge leads the way during the men's elite race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Andy Murray gets ready to start the race. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Candice Brown prior to the race. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Chris Evans (centre) with the Team Barbara's Revolutionaries Emma Barton, Kellie Shirley, Tanya Franks, Scott Mitchell and Natalie Cassidy. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Colombia's Francisco Sanclemente after getting a puncture at the start of the men's wheelchair race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Sanclemente inspects the damage. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Sir Mo Farah warms up. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Runners prepare for the start of the race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Charlotte Purdue (centre) at the start of the Women's London Marathon. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures A runner takes a photo on her phone. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Runners at the start of the race. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures A fun runner wears a Sir Mo mask for inspiration. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Sir Mo Farah (centre) at the start. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge and Great Britain's Mo Farah. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Sir Mo makes his way at the beginning of the race. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Daniel Romanchuk of the U.S. wins the men's wheelchair race, REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures A runner dressed as Spider Man. PA London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kirsty Gallacher ahead of the race. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Jenni Falconer ahead of the race. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Switzerland's Manuela Schar wins first place in the women's wheelchair race. AP London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Switzerland's Manuela Schar celebrates. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Chris Evans at the start line. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kirsty Gallacher sets off. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures General view during the men's elite race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in action. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Japan's Tadashi Horikoshi in action during the men's para race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Australia's Michael Roeger wins the men's para race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Candice Brown during the Virgin London Marathon 2019. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot in action. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Gabby Logan presenting BBC's coverage of the race. Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Kenya's Brigid Kosgei celebrates winning the women's elite race. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Brigid Kosgei crosses the finish line. AFP/Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Great Britain's Charlotte Purdue in action. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Brigid Kosgei wins the women's race. AP London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Great Britain's Charlotte Purdue celebrates. REUTERS London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Third place, Ethiopia's Roza Dereje (L), winner, Kenya's Brigid Kosgei (C) and second place, Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot (R). AFP/Getty Images London Marathon 2019 in pictures London Marathon 2019 in pictures Great Britain's Hayley Carruthers falls at the end of the women's elite race. REUTERS

However, if runners do not want to eat the casing, they can throw it on the floor as the pods are designed to biodegrade within six weeks, compared to the 450 years it takes for plastic bottles to decompose.

“The marathon is a milestone ... we are hoping we will demonstrate that it can be used at scale in the future,” Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, one of the startup's founders, told CNN.

This year’s marathon was not entirely plastic-free though, with water bottles available at shops along the route.

As part of the initiative to reduce unnecessary plastic waste, organisers have guaranteed that all water bottles handed out will be at least partially made of recycled plastic, and that all discarded bottles will be collected and recycled.

As well as efforts to cut the number of bottles in use, organisers are testing ways of recycling them more effectively.