Environmental Wellness practice includes picking up trash in your environment.
People accumulate trash daily and disposing of the accumulated trash is an inevitable part of life. However, many people because of the hustle and bustle of living, working, picking up kids, traveling, and so much more do not properly dispose of the trash, which can hurt the environment tremendously.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a governmental agency whose mission is to protect human health and the environment, “Trash can travel throughout the world's rivers and oceans, accumulating on beaches and within gyres. This debris harms physical habitats, transports chemical pollutants, threatens aquatic life, and interferes with human uses of river, marine and coastal environments.” The problem of managing waste personally or safely picking up and disposing of public waste may seem overwhelming, but experts mention there are better methods for proper disposal of trash. The idea of Plogging is a new way to contribute to environmental wellness and your personal health.
What is Plogging?
✅According to an article on plogging in the Washington Post, Plogging is the new Swedish fitness craze that is making its way to the U.S.
Plogging is a term derived from a combination of jogging and the Swedish word "plocka upp", meaning pick up. In this case, litter.
The art of plogging is an environmental wellness idea that includes picking up litter while jogging. If you spotted people toting small trash bags while jogging filled with old plastic bottles or paper trash, you guessed it right, their plogging.
Some exercisers have pleasant routes that they use to work out or run on but get tired of rubbish along their way and decided not to walk past that plastic bottle or piece of paper but pick it up and place it in a bag while running or working out in their favorite area.
Across Europe, groups in Scandinavia, Germany, and beyond are forming plogging groups that are fed up with rubbish along their route, so they realized they could clean up their workout routes and get exercise while doing a plogging activity.
Is Plogging Good exercise and beneficial for environmental wellness improvement?
The Washington Post mentions the Swedish-based fitness app Lifesum, which earlier this month made it possible for users to track plogging activity, a half-hour of jogging plus picking up trash will burn 288 calories for the average person, compared with the 235 burned by jogging alone. A brisk walk will expend about 120.
Plogging not only helps the environment, but it's also quite good for your health. Think squats while jogging.
One German plogger mentioned I'm more nipped in at the waist from the exercise I get while plogging and increased balance and flexibility."
Plogging became big in Scandinavia and spread by word-of-mouth and the hashtag #plogging started popping up on social media. Tesch, a nurse, said she regularly organizes plogging events in which she and friends will pluck litter for a few hours, then spend time hanging outside together around a fire.
✅The health benefits associated with plogging are great, one being that it was used as interval training or shifting back and forth between fast and slow speeds while walking and running. Training that includes fluctuating from one position to another has been shown to help burn more calories, be more efficient, and improve aerobic capacity versus regular running. The Indian express confirms plogging works, causing weight lost when making environmental wellness contributions.
✅Plogging may also be great for your mental health. You’ve heard the phrase “runner’s high,” right? Well, that’s a real thing. Running leads to an increased level of endorphins, otherwise known as nature’s opiates. They surge in your brain’s prefrontal and limbic regions, producing that euphoric feeling many runners report after a particularly tough session.
Hopefully, plogging with spread and cause a positive ripple effect for individual personal health and improved environmental wellness.
What kinds of Trash Pickup Equipment is needed during plogging to ease your waste dilemma safely and effectively?
1). A Reaching Aid
When it comes to picking up trash, the main reason you should consider using a reaching aid is because you could be picking up some disgusting things like half-eaten food, worn clothing, dirty diapers, bloody or snot-filled tissue, paper, food containers, etc. A reaching aid allows you to pick up these items without using your bare hands.
Another reason why a reaching aid is recommended is it allows you to grab items that are in hard-to-reach places without stooping, bending, or straining your back.
Our recommended reaching aid is the ‘Vive Reacher Grabber 32” – Extra Long Mobility Aid – Rotating Hand, Heavy Duty Grip Arm, sold on Amazon.
Another great reaching aid to consider for plogging is the 31” PATENTED DESIGN FOR ADDED REACH: Pick-up items from the top shelf, floor, lawn or behind furniture. Save your back and avoid a stepping stool. Also great for picking up trash or other items you don’t want to touch.
You may want to take a look at the EZPIK it is built from sautered steel wiring to last for tens of thousands of pickups. Can pick up items as large as 5 lbs. Rust-proof frame will hold up to heavy duty outdoor use.
A reaching aid that has is ROTATING & RUBBERIZED JAW reaching tool has jaws that can rotate a full 360 degrees in 90 increments to be used both vertically and horizontally for hard-to-reach places like behind furniture and appliances. This one works fantastic for Seniors work are in plogging groups centered around walking or for the senior walking by themselves Coated with anti-slip material allowing you to lift slippery items like glass or smooth plastic bottles.
2). Trash Bags
Another important trash pickup equipment to have at your disposal is some heavy-duty trash bags. While most people do not sit around considering whether to bag their trash or not, some people do on a daily or weekly basis. Even more importantly, some people constantly wonder which type of trash bags are truly more durable and dependable than others. What do we say? Yes, you should bag your trash because it will keep your trash can cleaner and free from decay, waste, and bugs. Furthermore, heavy duty trash bags will keep your trash contained more, allow you to collect more trash as well as allow you to transport the trash easier. For example, Reli. Biodegradable 33 Gallon Trash Bags (100 Count Bulk) Green Eco Friendly Garbage Bags 30 Gallon, 33 Gallon, 35 Gal Capacity, OXO-Biodegradable Under Certain Conditions are great for plogging and waster disposal afterwards. BioGrade Trash Bags use EPI additives (ASTM 6954). EPI additives can facilitate degradation (over many years) when placed in an appropriate compost facility environment. Extent and quickness of degradation will depend on surrounding environment and product formulation.
These 1.2 Gallon Small Trash bags are Biodegradable and can be used for Mini Recycling, great for picking up trash during plogging and use your bathroom/kitchen. Our small trash-can-bags can load 4.5 liter, with 8 angle sealing on the bottom help to avoid from leaks, excellent tensile strength help to avoid from tears or rips. We ensure that you can carry without worry dirty water leak or trash fall off.
3). Waterproof Gloves
Thirdly, when picking up anything that may be biohazardous or potentially dangerous to the skin, one should always make sure they have some sort of skin protectant; Gloves are essential when picking up potentially dangerous waste during your plogging activity. We highly recommend using durable, waterproof gloves because you would not want and dirty liquid water to get directly on your hands.
For example, you want a glove with durable & waterproof material like Galeton Comet Insulated PVC Coated Gloves Safety Cuff Orange 12 Pack which would be great for plogging groups.
When plogging you want to protect your hands from any harmful bacterial dirt. Nitrile Gloves are latex-free gloves made of high-quality nitrile, durable, and safe. Very friendly to your skin. They are more robust and thicker than ordinary disposable gloves and can provide higher tactile sensitivity for touch to the smartphone screen. Ideal for use in cleaning, painting, and plogging.
Nitrile Gloves are great for sensitive skin or those allergic to rubber and latex; they can fit your hands without causing the slightest discomfort.
Another way to keep your hands cool and dry during plogging is to use some of the best bamboo gloves designed to be breathable and comfortable. The touchscreen capability allows you to operate smartphones without removing gloves. They work great for handling fishing, gardening, farming, and you can possibly use them for plogging.
Conclusion
According to the Indian Express, fitness and environmental enthusiasts have began to adopt
and implement the plogging movement worldwide. Over the last few years, several groups have popped up across Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, and Africa that galvanize communities to take affirmative action against plastic pollution through positive interventions like plogging.
To make it a little more physically challenging, plogging groups even throw in a few exercises as they fill up their trash bags. The fact that plogging addresses both the health and environmental aspects make you feel that your desire to participate in plogging make you a positive agent of environmental wellness and that anyone can do it.
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