Australia has taken a step into one of the world’s strangest sports, with teams battling in Sydney for the right to represent the country in competitive rubbish collecting.
The event, held at Manly Beach on Saturday morning, was the national qualifier for the Spogomi World Cup, a contest born in Japan where points are awarded for picking up trash.
Thirty teams of three scoured streets and foreshore areas for an hour, filling colour-coded bags while referees patrolled with whistles and stopwatches.
Running was banned, bulky waste attracted heavy penalties, and every item had to be sorted within 20 minutes at the finish.
Cigarette butts, bottles and plastic wrappers were the most valuable finds, while tyres and fire extinguishers were off limits altogether.
The winning team, Crystal Clean, collected more than 2,000 points to secure a trip to Tokyo later this year, where they will compete against 20 other nations.
Competitors in fluorescent bibs scour Manly Beach foreshore for cigarette butts, wrappers, and cans during Spogomi Australia
Families, students, and community groups collect heaps of cigarette butts, bottles, wrappers, and food containers in one hour
Second place went to Ride and Seek, with Rot and Roll in third.
Organiser Jason Partington said the sport was growing quickly in Australia.
‘It’s only going to get bigger,’ he said.
‘It was crazy. It was like being in the Olympics … it was incredible.’
Partington said the spectacle disguised a serious message.
‘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,’ he said.
Spectators described the scene as part street carnival, part sporting contest.
One group of high school friends, calling themselves the Trash Talkers, admitted they were taking part more for fun than glory.
Volunteers carefully sort litter into colour-coded bags while referees watch, ensuring penalties for bulky or banned waste
Team Crystal Clean poses triumphantly after scoring over 2,000 points to secure their World Cup spot
‘This is a weird one, it’s a mix of competitiveness but I also don’t think any of us are really going to be bothered if we don’t win,’ said teammate Florian.
‘I was thinking about this yesterday – should I be amped and planning? But then I thought I’d just wing it. Hopefully, there’s no injuries.’
Another team, the Spaghettios, signed up after spotting a flyer in a public toilet, saying the chance of a free trip to Japan was enough to lure them in.
By the end of the hour, competitors had amassed piles of bottles, cans, food containers and thousands of cigarette butts.
Judges weighed and tallied the rubbish before announcing the winners, while the crowd looked on in disbelief at how much waste had been pulled from public spaces in such a short time.
The unusual sport has only been played in Australia since 2023, but in Japan it is already mainstream, with 50 regions staging qualifiers and the World Cup broadcast nationally.
