Arrows go Plogging
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Harpenden Arrows Clean Up!
A running club brought the Swedish concept of 'plogging' to their community on Sunday Plogging originated in Sweden in 2016 and fuses the Swedish terms 'plocka upp’ and 'jogga’, meaning 'picking up’ and 'jogging’. Harpenden Arrows added rubbish sacks and gloves to their usual kit of energy gels and water bottles when they went out on a trial run on Sunday at 9am.
Meeting at the junction of Westfield Road and the Lea Valley cycle path in Harpenden, the volunteers collected 20 black sacks of litter along the path, including a motor scooter wheel, a 4ft black plastic pipe, a foot rest, and some old bed springs.
Harpenden Arrows member June Rowlands introduced the idea. Her husband John said: “At first we all thought 'Not much here to collect', but by the end we couldn't believe how much litter there was." The litter was separated into recyclables, general refuse and larger items that were transported to the local tip at Dark Lane. Commenting on Sunday’s trial, June said: “It’s a pity that an initiative like plogging is necessary, but it was good to feel that we were making a difference in the community while doing something healthy.” Harpenden Arrows, which meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30pm in the Sports Hall at St George’s school on Sun Lane, is considering including a regular plogging activity and is engaging with local organisations on potential areas to focus on.
