1) It’s easy!
If you’re looking for a new exercise routine, or just starting out, then ‘plogging’ may be for you. All you need is running gear, protective gloves and a plastic bag to collect rubbish. It may seem a bit odd running around with a plastic bag on your side, but it’s worth it.
2) It’s jogging - but better for the environment
In Swedish, “plocka upp” translates to picking up, so you combine that with “jogging” and you get “plogging.” The aim of it is to pick up litter in our surrounding areas, whether that be the city or the countryside, in order to improve our communities and the environment. It’s an easy way to get involved with the environmental movement to make a positive change to your community.
3) Change up your workout routine
‘Plogging’ can provide a pleasant change from the humble, but humdrum jog. Mix up your training plan by throwing in a monthly plog. And, why bother working out in a sterile and awkward gym when you could be exercising outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine?
4) Add a new dimension to your run
In a recent article for the Metro, fitness expert Miranda Larbi explained: “Plogging shares some characteristics with interval training. It’s also got elements of mobility training - reaching down to pick up rubbish will extend the range of motion that you’re using.”
5) Bond with your running community
It seems a bit silly running out with blue gloves and bin-bags that look more like parachutes - but trust us, adding some quirky features to your work-out routine is a talking point, and will allow other like-minded runners to get to know you, your love for environmental change, and to start a conversation about our relationship with the environment. Plus, the smiles of appreciation from passers-by are always a nice added bonus!
6) … and the international community!
There’s a huge social media presence for plogging, where a quick glance at the hashtag #plogging shows people all over the world posting their plogging pics online. Swedish fitness app Lifesum claims it's the first health app to allows its 25 million users to log their plogging activity. Those using the health app can log plogging as a fitness activity, in the same way that they would log running or walking.
7) Raise awareness of the UK’s plastic problem
It’s no secret since Blue Planet has aired on our television screens that the UK has a problem with plastic. One study suggests that by 2050 our oceans will have more plastic swimming around, by weight, than fish. It’s vital, then, that individuals take charge over their plastic consumption, and help to clean up after themselves.
8) It’s a stepping stone towards bigger change
Some may argue that plogging is a futile gesture towards the war on plastics. Yet if a small percentage of the millions of people in this country - or the billions around the world - took the time to make a small change in their community, then who knows what the end result could be? It may also help you notice the biggest single waste culprits and whether there are ways in your own life you could help cut them out.
9) Combine it with other activities
In Venice Beach, regular beach clean-ups combine yoga, meditation, and running with environmentalism. Perhaps the satisfaction of knowing you are helping others allows a wholesome change in your relationship with both your body and the environment, which just might be the healthiest aspect of plogging.
10) Immediate change
More often than not environmental issues seem to be of an overwhelming magnitude. It’s viewed as a ‘global crisis’ and can cause us to detach it from our own lives. Creating meaningful change can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle. However, plogging can make an immediate, positive change in our local environment and you can feel content in the knowledge that the litter you removed can now be recycled when possible and is no longer a risk to wildlife.