Environmental Awareness Grows: Spogomi and Litter Picking

Born in Japan, spogomi is transforming litter picking into a competitive sport with a positive social impact. According to Positive News, spogomi combines sport with civic pride, encouraging participants to enjoy themselves while cleaning up the environment.

This initiative originated when Japanese runner Kenichi Mamitsuka began picking up litter during his jogs in 2008, leading him to gamify the act to raise awareness about littering. The term spogomi is derived from the Japanese words for sport and rubbish.

Fast forward fifteen years, and spogomi is now played worldwide, with over 165 thousand participants collecting nearly 200 thousand tonnes of trash. Recently, the second Spogomi World Cup took place in Tokyo, where Bella Spencer and her team represented the UK after qualifying in London.

Although they finished 13th out of 34, Spencer emphasized the importance of community engagement and the awareness spogomi brings to litter issues. Sarah Parry, a critical care doctor and the 2023 world champion, noted that the sport has opened her eyes to the litter problem, stating that she can no longer overlook litter in her environment.

Spogomi teams consist of three members, armed with litter-picking tools, and have a time limit to collect waste from designated areas. After the collection period, teams sort their haul into categories for a final weigh-in, with points awarded based on the type of rubbish collected.

This competitive yet inclusive sport welcomes participants of all ages and abilities, reflecting a collective effort to address environmental concerns. Despite being relatively niche in the UK, there are efforts to expand spogomi's reach, with local authorities considering hosting competitions.

Chris Roaf, a representative from Spogomi UK, is actively seeking partnerships to engage more communities. He believes spogomi can serve as a unique corporate social responsibility initiative, allowing companies to combine team-building exercises with environmental cleanup.

The most crucial aspect is to remove litter from the streets while having fun and promoting physical activity. Overall, spogomi represents a growing awareness of environmental issues and a proactive approach to community involvement in tackling them.