The athletes who will be competing for gold, silver and bronze at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be sleeping on cardboard.
In order for them to be recycled into paper products after the Games are over, the frames for the beds in Athletes Village in Tokyo will be made of “sturdy” cardboard, according to The Associated Press.
The mattresses on the beds — which can supposedly hold up to 440 pounds — are not made of cardboard but will be recycled into plastic products after the Olympics and Paralympics are over.
This is the first time the beds and bedding in the Athletes Village have been made of renewable materials.
“The organizing committee was thinking about recyclable items, and the bed was one of the ideas,” Takashi Kitajima, the general manager of the Athletes Village, told The AP. “They are stronger than wooden beds.”
In all, Athletes Village will hold about 18,000 beds housed in units that are being constructed in 21 apartment towers. After the Olympics are over, the units will be rented or sold with prices starting at about $500,000.
The 2020 Summer Olympics will begin on July 24 and the Paralympics will follow them on August 25.
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