From US to Malaysia, who will clean out the competition at Japan's trash-picking World Cup?
Japan is gearing up to host the inaugural "SpoGomi" World Cup in November as 20 teams vie for the title by picking up the most litter from the streets of Tokyo in one hour.
Qualifying tournaments have begun around the world to select a national champion team that would scour the backstreets of the Japanese capital for trash.
"SpoGomi", a combination of "sport" and "gomi" (Japanese for rubbish), was introduced in 2008 as a domestic contest to encourage people to clean up public spaces.
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Under World Cup rules, each team has three players and is given 60 minutes to gather rubbish in a designated area. However, the real challenge lies in sorting it correctly into bags for burnable waste, recyclable plastic bottles, metal cans and other categories.
When the time is up, the trash is weighed, and the squad that has collected the most will be awarded the cup and medals. In case of a tied result, extra points would be determined by different types of waste.
Referees will monitor the games where contestants are also not allowed to run and take items from private property, roads or railway tracks.
Takayasu Udagawa, who is overseeing planning for The Nippon Foundation-run competition, said previous SpoGomi events were held on beaches, riverbanks and parks.
"We have not yet made a final decision on where the finals will take place, but we expect it to be on the streets somewhere in the centre of the city," Udagawa said.
"We believe it is important to collect litter in cities because there has been a sharp increase in the amount of waste in oceans around the world, so it is best if we can collect that trash before it gets into the ocean as it is much harder to gather at that point," he said.
The sport has gained increasing popularity in Japan, particularly in schools where it is becoming part of the curriculum when children learn about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The foundation has also created the animated film SpoGomi: World Cup Exhibition Match Arc to promote the event among schoolchildren. In the story, set in the near future, competitive litter collecting has become as popular around the world as football and players are feted as superstars.
Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo clothing retail chain, is supporting the tournament and has announced it will donate US$2 million.
The foundation estimates that around 100 SpoGomi contests are held across Japan every year and it hopes the World Cup will encourage the growth of the sport elsewhere.
Asian countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, dominate the 20-team event that also has the US, Canada, South Africa and Egypt among others.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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