PlanningxChange 142: Turning Litter into Play: Spogomi

This episode explores spogomi, the Japanese-born idea that reimagines litter collection as a competitive, team-based sport, transforming one of the least appealing aspects of urban life into something energetic, social, and unexpectedly joyful. We are joined by Masanori (Max) Tamazawa and Kazuhiro (Hiro) Yagasaki of the Spogomi Institute, who trace the evolution of spogomi from a local response to everyday urban waste into a global movement. What began as a way to address litter in Japanese cities has become a structured sport, where teams collect, sort, and score waste within a defined time and place, shifting behaviour from obligation to participation. That shift is powerful. Spogomi reframes public space. The overlooked, the discarded, the “back of house” of the city becomes a site of play, collaboration, and shared purpose. It suggests a different way of engaging with urban environments, where care, competition, and community overlap, and where something unattractive is reshaped into a fun, collective expression. The movement has scaled rapidly. The first Spogomi World Cup in Tokyo in 2023 brought together teams from 21 countries, while the 2025 World Cup expanded to more than 30 countries, reflecting its growing global reach and appeal. How can urban managers and promoters harness this new sport to create better civic places? What lessons can be learnt from the experiences so far. Max and Hiro explain the motivation of its creator, how the sport was created, how it plays out and the expressions it takes on in different cultures. A truly wonderful export from Japan. There are many videos of the sport on Instragram and YouTube see for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNooXSOK0I and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA3qOiXxsNg. More on spogomi at https://en.nf-spogomiwc.com The spogomi website is currently being updated. When complete we will add. Podcast released 4 May 2026.