Plogging around the Neighborhood

Disclaimer: I received a Knockaround Sunglasses to promote Plogging and Earth Day as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

So since I have been temporarily furloughed due to the ongoing Covid 19 Pandemic, I have had a bit of extra time on my hands, especially since last week was "Spring Break" for my daughter, so I didn't even have to do home school lessons with her. So, to fill the time, last week I went on a Plogging Adventure. 

What exactly is Plogging? 

It’s when you pick up trash while going for a walk/jog. And it’s a great way to keep active and also to help keep your neighborhood to be clean. And it is super easy to do, both for a group activity (you know, in different times) and by yourself. 

First, I gathered my supplies:

Bags, gloves and since I was doing it on a bright, sunny, beautiful day, a bottle of water and my Knockaround Sunglasses. I've been a Knockaround fan for awhile, and these new No Signal Special Edition Frames have quickly become my favorites. 

I set out, walking up each street in my neighborhood scanning for trash. I was really impressed to see that there was actually not too terribly much litter strewn about. Still, I was able to fill 2 bags full of trash in the 1.7 miles that span my neighborhood (I run it a lot, especially lately, so trust me, I know the exact mileage). 

It was a beautiful day out and I spent about 45 minutes or so collecting trash. Halfway through I dropped my first full bag off at my house, which is conveniently located on the middle street of the 154 house subdivision. 

Random Observations About What I Collected:

• Most frequent thing I collected: Cigarette butts. Some (not all) smokers seem to think that throwing their butts out the window is not littering. I am here to tell you that if you think that, you are WRONG!

• Largest thing I collected: A bag that was full with other trash just sitting on the side of the road.

• Most dangerous thing I collected: Broken glass, yikes!

• Most expensive thing I collected: An AirPods Charging Case! Technically, I didn't actually collect this. It looked a bit scratched up, but otherwise in good shape so I just placed it on the sidewalk right where I found it and left it hoping the owner would see it and claim it. I went for a walk a few hours later and it was gone, so hopefully it was reunited with the right person.

• Most surprising thing about my plogging: The neighborhood playground was a lot cleaner than I expected it to be. Go kids! Though I did find a hoodie that was left behind. Again, I didn't collect this, but laid it over the playground bench hoping for it to be reunited with it's owner. It's been a week and it is still there unfortunately. 

After I finished, I was so excited to check out my hard work, I went for a run right after on the same streets... twice plus a little for 4 miles! And it was awesome to see the streets looking so clean. I plan on doing a quick maintenance Plog once a month to keep everything looking nice and safe. 

A special thank you to Knockaround and BibRave for issuing the Plogging challenge and motivating me to get out there and get cleaning! And now I’m challenging you! See what you can accomplish out on a Plog this week, post your photos on either Insta or Twitter and tag me - I'm @runnerdgirl on both. Stay tuned for other ways that I will be celebrating Earth Day this month with BibRave and Knockaround! 


And happy PLOGGING!!