Volunteer Dash for Trash – Volunteer Here

Dash for Trash is an eco-conscious fitness event aimed at spreading awareness on cleaner and fitter communities, cities, mountains and beaches, whilst encouraging a culture of volunteering amongst people from all walks of life. It’s also a community exercise where in people come together to clean up their surrounding while keeping up healthy practices.

When : 5th December 2020

Time : 6:30 am to 9:00 am

Where : From your Doorsteps. Do invite your Family and Friends.

*Note: There is no registration fee for this event.

On the occasion of International Volunteers Day, Volunteer Here invites you to Dash for Trash, a Plogging event: combination of jogging and picking up litter.

Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter and ensuring a clean planet Started in Sweden, involves a group of runners or an individual runner cleaning up the place where they are running. It’s also a community exercise where in people come together to clean up their surrounding while keeping up healthy practices.

Instructions and tips:

1. Dress in comfortable running clothes and shoes. It is recommended to use disposable gloves while picking up the litter.

2. Use of litter pick up stick is recommended.

3. Ensure that adequate protection is taken while in a group. Maintain social distance while plogging. Use of mask is recommended.

4. Carry a trash bag to put the litter in and which later can be disposed off. Please do ensure that you carry adequate number of bags.

5. As and when the bags get filled, leave the same at a common point to be collected at the end.

6. Run with regular group for this event. Encourage people to join this event and create awareness on the need for keeping the environment clean while being physically fit.

7. You can go plogging alone too and do your bit to make this planet a cleaner one.

8. Ensure that hands and all equipments used are properly washed and sanitised after the event.

9. Dispose the used gloves appropriately.

FAQs :

1) When is a good time to go plogging?

We recommend that you go plogging when there is sufficient light to see what’s being picked up. Consider early morning to undertake the plogging activity as it’s a good time to run and the traffic on the roads would be lesser too. We do not encourage any plogging activity when its dark and post sunset. Do please note the timing as published by VolunteerHere for the plogging.

2) Where do I undertake plogging?

We recommend that you undertake plogging near your usual running zone. This is primarily due to the prevailing situation. Please do ensure that you follow all the guidelines issued by your local authorities for undertaking this activity. However, if you are aware of any area which has a litter problem and is safe to run, then as a group you may consider that zone.

3) What do I pick up as litter?

Please watch out for litter as you jog. No piece of plastic is too small to be picked up and removed from the environment, feel free to collect the small along with the big pieces of litter. There are no rules about how much or how little to collect, that's totally up to you.

4) Is there anything to watch out for while plogging?

Please collect safely. Use your discretion while picking up the litter. Pick only what you are comfortable to collect and consider safe. Do not try and lift things on the go as it is dangerous to do so. Avoid picking hazardous waste like broken bottles or leaking batteries, if you do not have the right equipment to pick or carry. Remember to pass on the information to the collection agents while handing over the filled up bags.

5) Is there any special way to collect and carry the bags?

Feel free to choose your style of plogging. We can choose one of the following styles: ● Go plogging in one direction and continue to carry all that they've collected as they go. ● Create piles of litter, keep jogging, then backtrack with the litter bag and collect the amassed piles on the way home. ● If you don't want your exercise to be interrupted, consider plogging while warming up and cooling down, leaving the middle section for the serious running. ● Wear your fitness tracker and keep note of how many steps or how much distance you've covered.

6) What do I do with the Trash collected?

We are trying to make arrangements for the collection of the trash by a agency. However, its recommended that you hand it over or deposit the bag with your local garbage collection agent. You can also drop it off at collection points of the local agencies. Please do note that you should not leave the filled up bags on the side of the roads or parks.

7) Should I keep a record of my run and the amount of Trash collected?

Yes, keep a record of what you've collected and also upload the details on our website along with your photos. We would also encourage you to put these photos up on your social media handles tagging us. This is to encourage all your friends and family members to also volunteer for social causes.

Did You Know ?

Plogging burns more calories than the usual jogging; it has been measured as burning 288 calories an hour whereas just jogging burns a lesser 235 calories an hour.

Be sure to share innovative ways to collect and carry litter while plogging; the more people who can be encouraged to go plogging, the better!

If you have space restrictions and need to make a choice about what to collect while plogging, choose plastic over paper as it won’t biodegrade and presents an enormous hazard to local birds and wildlife, as well as to water bodies and the ocean.

Examples of litter you can collect while plogging include plastic drink bottles, drink lids, straws, plastic bottles, packages, cartons, can tabs, rope, old pipes, bits of plastic, cardboard, discarded clothing and shoes, etc.

Caution:

Do not collect litter that is potentially hazardous unless you have the appropriate equipment and clothing. For example, needles (assume they are used) are potentially hazardous if not picked up properly and with great care. Other potentially hazardous items include leaking batteries, flaking paint (it may contain lead), exposed electronics, and broken light bulbs. If in doubt, do not pick up the item but make a note that it needs collecting and either return with the right collection gear or get the appropriate authorities to collect it.

Dispose of all collected items appropriately, according to your city’s regulations and expectations.

Take care where you put your hands. If you cannot see clearly, reconsider collecting the item as sharp points, broken glass or biting animals might be lurking in what you cannot see. Even with gloves on, accidents can happen.