Year 12 SpoGomi Competition

Did you know that picking up litter is actually a sport?

SpoGomi is the sport of picking up litter and sorting it within a given timeframe. Established in Japan in 2008, SpoGomi developed into a World Cup competition in 2023.

As part of the College’s commitment to caring for our common home and in the spirit of Laudato Si’, the College is embracing this sport of sustainability. On Wednesday 25 March in Seminar, Year 12 students participated in Lumen Christi College’s first ever SpoGomi competition. House teams had 10 minutes to collect litter and another 10 minutes to sort and weigh it.

Earlier in the morning, the school looked so clean that it was starting to look like there wouldn’t be anything to find. However, the students were enthusiastic and managed to collect 7.96 kgs of litter in 10 minutes. 

Students were surprised by how much litter had been blown into bushes and other less visible areas. Of note, there were two batteries found –a reminder that batteries are hazardous waste – thankfully the College has a battery recycling program.

While 43% of the litter collected was general waste, 21% were items that could be recycled through our Containers for Change program. 26% was paper and cardboard which the College is exploring how best to recycle.

Overall, it was a wonderful effort by all the students who embraced taking care of our College grounds.

The winning House will be announced as part of the Wear It Wild event on Friday, 27 March.

Gita Bolton 

Sustainability Coordinator

Trang Nguyen

Head of Year 12