IKEA everyday rituals
Making an impact, one step at a time
Armed with bags, tongs and rubber gloves, he hits the trail, cleaning up curbs and hedgerows as he goes. Plogging – a combination of the Swedish verb "plocka upp" meaning to pick up, and jogging – is to pick up litter while running. Every day, come rain or shine, Paul Waye pounds the pavement, fields and country lanes, cleaning up his city at the same time.
Running around 11 km per day, he collects a whopping 40,000 litres of rubbish per year. “Plogging brings a positive mental benefit to me. It feels like I’m doing something good. It also gives me an excuse to slow down if I’m having a bad run,” he explains. For Paul, plogging has become a way of life, so much that he even has the word “Plog” tattooed on his arm. He mainly picks up food packaging and drink cans, but every now and then he finds treasure. Paul once found a broken safety deposit box containing photographs, letters and bank statements dumped on the roadside. He carried the box and its contents home and with a bit of detective work, discovered the owner – a 90-year-old woman was robbed in her home by thieves posing as care workers. Thanks to Paul’s plogging, the treasure box of memories was reunited with its owner. “It didn’t take away from the trauma of the theft, but it did give her back her memories,” says Paul.
Paul regularly takes to social media (@wayeoflife) to share his stories to promote plogging. “Picking up trash has an impact, but showing people you’re doing it has an even bigger impact. It’s not to say look how cool I am, but to say, look how easy it is to make a difference, to make a statement and say I want a future for this world,” says Paul. From running around his hometown of Haarlem in the Netherlands, leading a group of fellow ploggers while dressed as a banana; to participating in the Plogging World Championship – he not only raises awareness, but also quite a few smiles. It would be easy to assume that Paul’s one wish would be to not have to plog, but he has no intention of stopping. Instead, he hopes to change the ways of others. “It’s so fantastic to hear people say ‘I’m going to pick up some trash’ or ‘I’m going to start plogging’. It’s really inspiring and gives me the energy to carry on because I’ve inspired someone and in turn, they are inspiring me. However, my dream is that someone comes up to me one day and says ‘Because of you I’ve stopped dropping trash'. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s my dream."
Plogging, Paul's way
Make it fun! Whether you're in a group, in fancy dress, or just out walking the dog, the great thing about plogging is there are no rules. No matter how much or how little litter you collect, every piece counts.
Great for beginners: Plogging is a great way to start running. It lets you take as many breaks as you like as you build up your fitness.
No need to break your pace: Plogging before or after a run instead helps you to stretch as a warm up or cool down, without impacting your run.
You don't have to pick up loads of rubbish. The most important thing is that people see you doing it. Picking up the trash has an impact, but showing people you’re doing it has a bigger impact.
