Sport produces mountains of high-tech waste. We are finding new ways to recycle it

By Ali Hadigheh, Senior Lecturer, Structural Engineering, University of Sydney
Yaning Wei, Postdoctoral Researcher, Civil Engineering, University of Sydney

In the early days of the modern Olympics and Paralympics, athletes competed using heavy, non-aerodynamic equipment. The record for throwing a javelin, for instance, has almost doubled since 1908, when the sport was introduced. Athletes have got better – but so has their equipment.

In fact, sporting equipment (and the materials it is made from) has improved in almost every sport. Fibre-reinforced plastics, in particular, have been revolutionary. These composite materials commonly combine plastics with strong…

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