Guarayos Turns Trash Collection Into a Sport, Sending Three Teams to the National Stage

On a cold, windy morning in Ascensión de Guarayos, the main square became the starting point for an unusual competition: collecting, sorting and gathering rubbish to win.

Fourteen teams of three people, most of them young students, took part in the municipality's first Spogomi World Cup. The event, organized by the Japanese NGO DIFAR together with the municipal government and council, gave each team one hour to move through the streets, collect waste and separate it by type.

Los Tigres del Norte finished first, followed by Estudiantes FC and the Star team. All three qualified for the national stage in Santa Cruz, although the date has not yet been set. The winners also received cash prizes and other incentives: Bs 400 for first place and Bs 300 each for second and third.

The competition's name combines “spo,” from sport, and “gomi,” the Japanese word for rubbish. Elber Ativena, the event coordinator, called the turnout and the first edition a success.

Acting Mayor Robert Schok said the Spogomi event also created an opportunity to promote cleaner streets and environmental care. It helped publicize Municipal Law 10/2026, recently approved by the municipal council. Eduardo Mercado, the municipal government's legal adviser, said the measure seeks to gradually reduce plastic-bag use in Ascensión de Guarayos and includes steps agreed with local traders to encourage alternatives.

Schok also announced plans to buy machinery that could reuse plastic waste by turning it into posts for homes and grazing fields. The day therefore ended with a challenge extending beyond the competition itself: produce less waste and find ways to use what is collected.

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spo, from sport, and gomi, rubbish in Japanese