Litter-picking became a competitive sport, and the UK sent a team to Tokyo

Born in Japan, spogomi is now going global. As competitors like to say: ‘the real winner is the environment’

Born in Japan, spogomi is now going global. As competitors like to say: ‘the real winner is the environment’

It’s one sport where playing dirty is positively encouraged – and sweeping to victory means a win for the planet as well as the competitors. Born in Japan, spogomi turns the humble act of litter-picking into a high-octane contest with a side order of civic pride.

“It’s not just about participants enjoying themselves, it isn’t simply about getting exercise – spogomi has a positive social impact that benefits society at large,” says Spogomi UK representative Chris Roaf. “Ultimately, the real winner is the environment.”

Some 53 million tonnes of plastic waste and 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded on streets and landscapes globally each year. Japanese runner Kenichi Mamitsuka began scooping up some of them on his morning jogs in 2008, and soon hit on the idea of gamifying his public-spirited act to raise awareness of littering.

He christened his new creation by splicing ‘spo’ from sport with gomi , the Japanese word for rubbish. Fast forward 15 years and spogomi is now played across Japan and in dozens of countries worldwide. To date, more than 165,000 people have taken part in official contests, collecting almost 200,000 tonnes of trash between them.

In Tokyo, the dust settled on the second Spogomi World Cup last week. Bella Spencer and teammates Hannah Hunter and Hannah Terrell won an all-expenses-paid trip to represent the UK after litter-picking their way to victory at a qualifier in London over the summer.

Ultimately, the trio were denied a podium spot, losing to hosts Japan and placing 13th out of 34. For Spencer, though, it was the taking part that really mattered.

“We met people from all walks of life who are passionate about looking after their neighbourhood and the planet,” she told Positive News . “What struck me most was the scale of the litter problem, and the global and local action needed to protect our planet and marine life. I’ll never walk past a crisp packet again without scooping it into the bin.”

Spogomi is typically played in teams of three, armed with bin bags and litter-picking tongs. The rules allow fast walking, but running with sacks full of glass or metal is deemed hazardous, so attracts a point penalty.

Teams have a time limit – usually 45 minutes – to collect as much rubbish as possible from a designated area. At the whistle, they have another 20 minutes to sort their haul into categories for the final weigh-in.

Some 165,000 competitors have taken part, collecting almost 200,000 tonnes of rubbish. Image: Chris Roaf