If you believe the hype, this year’s must have fitness accessory is a little, black… plastic bin liner.
Runners around the world are taking up ‘plogging’ – a fitness trend which combines fitness with environmentalism.
Joggers are packing bin liners in their pockets, so they can collect loose pieces of rubbish they find along the way.
Plogging is a new fitness craze where runners pick up rubbish they find on their routes (stock image)
Plogging is primarily an outdoor activity, which takes place in parks or urban environments.
It’s said to be part of a wider trend of ‘urban fitness’, where city dwellers combine fitness with other community minded activities.
Plogging typically involves running outside, with a bin liner or carry bag, while picking up loose pieces of rubbish which are strewn on the ground.
One woman shows off her bag of rubbish collected while plogging
The trend is said to have started in Sweden, where environmentally friendly runners are collecting rubbish and showing off their bags of booty on Instagram.
The word ‘plogging’ is derived from the Swedish phrase ‘plocka upp’, which refers to picking up rubbish.
The trend has reached many cities around the world, with recent Instagram accounts popping up for plogginglondon, ploggingnyc and ploggingfrance, to name a few.
A runner simply tucked rubbish into her waistband – no bin liner needed
Another woman shows off her spoils on social media after plogging
It is a grassroots style of exercise, where ploggers are encouraged to give it a go and post their results on Instagram.
The exercise trend is said to be a multi-faceted workout.
It combines cardio from running with squats, as runners occasionally bend over to pick up loose pieces of rubbish which are strewn around the cities or parks that they race through.
The trend has reached many cities around the world (stock image)
According to the latest Australian National Waste Report 2016, in 2014-15 Australia produced about 64 million tonnes of waste, which is equivalent to 2.7 tonnes of waste per capita.
While almost 60 per cent of this was recycled, there is still a long way to go.
Plogging is an easy, affordable way to get fit and help the environment at the same time.
To join the wave, all you need is a pair of sneakers and a bin liner, so what are you waiting for?
To start plogging, just bring a rubbish bag along on your runs (stock image)