In late August, Australia held its spogomi World Cup qualifier, where nearly 100 participants came together and sorted litter into coloured bags until the end of the competition. The winning team would stand a chance to travel to Tokyo and compete in the Spogomi World Cup against 20 countries including the US, the UK and China.

Spogomi, created in Japan in 2008, blends the English word “sport” with gomi, meaning rubbish. The aim is to transform litter collection into an engaging game that raises environmental awareness, with points awarded based on the type and weight of rubbish collected while bulky items like tyres or prams attract penalties.

Teams have one hour to pick up rubbish within a designated area while walking quickly within 10 metres of each other (running is banned) and 20 minutes are allocated at the end of the game to sort their items into their correct waste disposal bags. Cigarette butts, wrappers and drink cans became prized finds and many participants were shocked by how much rubbish they suddenly noticed once they began searching.

This was only Australia’s second year hosting a spogomi qualifier, but in Japan the sport has hugely popular, with nearly 50 regions holding their own events and the World Cup broadcast on national television. Australia’s spogomi founder, Jason Partington, believes local interest will only continue to grow.

“We know 80 per cent of litter that ends up in the ocean comes from the land, so the more we can get people aware that instead of walking past rubbish, you should pick it up, the better,” Jason told the Guardian.

By the end of the Manly competition, hundreds of kilograms of litter had been removed from the streets. The team Crystal Clean took first place with more than 2,100 points, earning their spot in Tokyo.

In our previous article, we talked about how you can help reduce pollution in our waterways and protect their vital ecosystems. Every little bit counts and picking up litter is one easy way to make a positive impact on the environment.

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