The suspense of the 2012 Olympics in London will have spectators sitting on pins and needles--and knives. Well, in a manner of speaking. Turns out the main Olympic stadium in East London's Stratford will contain guns and knives confiscated by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The service said it collected more than 52 tons of scrap metal from guns, knives, and old keys in the last fiscal year. Some was melted down and used in bridges, buildings, cars, and trains, and some will be recycled and used to construct the Olympic structure.
The repurposed weapons add to the eco-friendly focus being pursued by designer Populous (formerly HOK Sport). It says it will utilize a range of sustainable materials for the project, possibly including hemp.
We're really liking the Olympics' emphasis on recycling. Medalists at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will get gold, silver, and bronze medals containing metal from recycled TVs, computers, and keyboards that might have otherwise ended up as e-waste.
CNET's Ina Fried will be in Vancouver covering the technology behind the games and more, so stay tuned for lots from up north in coming weeks.
(Via Inhabitat)