If you are searching for an activity for Earth Month or Earth Day 4/22, consider going “Plogging”. There are health benefits for you and the environment. You may already be a plogger and not know it! If you jog or walk after trash collection, you’ll know what this is about.
The word plogging is portmanteau or word combination. It is formed by the Swedish words “ploka upp” (pick up) and “jogga” (jog). The movement was created by Swedish runner and activist Erik Ahlstrom when he started to pick up plastic and trash along his route to work. Ahlstrom created the Plogga Foundation, and the first formal event took place in Stockholm, Sweden in 2016. Now, in 2022, there are plogging events in over 40 countries. Millions of people have participated, collecting plastic and trash, and sorting their finds to dispose of and recycle properly.
Plogging brings communities together to ensure clean streets, running trails, and public spaces all while enjoying the health benefits of a good walk, run or other activity. 
According to devotees, plogging uses many more muscles than usual jogging. Ploggers flex and extend their abs and glutes each time they bend or squat to pick up a piece of ground-level litter. They also get plenty of flexions as they stop and twist to pop the can or bottle in their trash bag. The overall increase in carried weight as the load increases during an activity puts more tension on the arms and shoulders. The simple act of stopping to pick something up is a basic form of interval training allowing muscle relaxation and tension on a regular basis. Plogging actually expends about 106 more calories per hour than normal jogging. All this helps keep ploggers’ fitness up and can reduce consequent health problems.
Litter has a detrimental effect on communities and the people who live in them. Litter toxins can affect community health. Litter is said to foster perceptions of increased crime which can become self-fulfilled prophecies. Decreasing litter in the community can increase a sense of safety and decrease future littering and possibly even lower crime.
There is no wrong way to plog, you only need comfortable clothes, gloves and a bag. You don’t necessarily have to run or jog – plogging can be done walking down the street, on the golf course, biking, paddle boarding, swimming or wherever you are and whatever you are doing. 
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Services has its own MontgomeryPlogs Challenge. You can plog on your own or with family or friends. If you are the competitive sort, register to participate in the challenge and then report your cleanup data. Students can earn SSL hours for participating. Form a team and challenge others. No matter how you do it we all win! Montgomery County PLOGGING Challenge! – My Green Montgomery : My Green Montgomery