A Guide to Plogging/Plalking | Coastal Clean Up Month with Boxed Water

Plog = plocka upp (‘pick up’ in Swedish)  + jog

I was fascinated by the concept of plogging when I first read about the craze in Sweden in 2018. I already was jogging multiple times a week and recall passing by a lot of trash, why not pick up the trash that I pass along the way by bringing along a bag? The first time I went plogging, I had dragged Josh with me to the beach and it was a little gross. We didn’t wear gloves and used a reusable canvas bag to hold our trash because I wanted to “look cute doing it”..rookie mistake. Fast forward two years later, I keep a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in my jogging fanny pack that I carry my phone in and tie one of PJ’s doggy baggies on me. If the trash gets too full, I just dump it in a trash can nearby. If you haven’t been plogging, I hope you try it–September is Coastal Clean Up Month, which is the perfect time to begin.

Plogging Essentials:

• Disposable baggie
• Hand sanitizer
• Mask and gloves (gloves optional if you have hand sanitizer)

Plogging tips:

• Don’t forget your PPE (personal protective equipment)! Thanks to covid, we all have masks, but also wear gloves or carry a mini hand sanitizer in your pocket. 
• I have to put this out there, but use your judgement, if you come across trash that puts your health in danger, don’t pick it up, you’re already an amazing person for cleaning up 🙂
• Use a disposable bag for holding your trash and dump it in a trash can along the way
• Plak! now that I’m 7 months pregnant, I’m mostly “plalking,” picking up and walking. It’s also a great option if you’re taking your pet out. 
• Have fun, pick or jog to a place with nice scenery or bring a friend or two or three to make a memorable experience you’ll want to do again.
• Stay hydrated–especially in these hot months. When refillable water bottles are not an option, like if you’re hosting a larger beach clean-up, look into Boxed Water (They’re doing a giveaway!). Josh hosted a socially distanced beach clean up at his company in August and they handed out single use plastic water bottles. These paper based boxed waters would have been the perfect eco-friendly alternative!

xo,

Thank you Boxed Water for sponsoring this post, as always all opinions are my own.