AssetID: 53237859
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Britain Triumph In 'Litter Picking World Cup' In Japan
Caption: It’s been a lean year for UK sport - but an intrepid trio of Brits have saved face by triumphing at the inaugural litter-picking World Cup in Japan. The famously tidy Japanese have turned clearing up rubbish into an international sport - dubbed ‘SpoGomi’. Sarah Parry, her Alexander Winship, and his brother Jonathan Winship beat competition from 20 other countries to win the SpoGomi World Cup!. SpoGomi involves teams of three collecting litter with plastic tongs in a 5-square-kilometre area in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district. Contestants have an hour to gather rubbish and a limited time to separate and weigh it. Points are awarded based on the type of litter, with burnable and non-burnable items earning 10 points per 100 grams. Cans and bottles are worth 12 points, and PET plastic bottles 25 points. Cigarette butts, deemed the most valuable, fetch 100 points per 100 grams. The sport’s rules forbid running, picking through litter bins, or shadowing other teams. Team GB dominated from start to finish, collecting nearly 3,000 more points than the second-placed team from Japan. They accumulated 57kg of plastic bottles, cigarette butts and other items from the streets of Tokyo in total - way ahead of their nearest rivals. The feat bagged them the coveted title of ‘Samurai litter pickers’. They now hope their success doesn’t just land them the accolade of world champions - but inspires a new generation of tidy Brits to look after our environment.
Keywords: Litter Picking,Japan,World Cup,Sport,Environment,Tidy,Offbeat,World Champions,Fun,UK,Tokyo,Video,SpoGomi,Japanese,Rubbish,Litter,Shibuya,Sarah Parry,Alexander Winship,Jonathan Winship
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