Whenever I go running outdoors, I make it a point to pick up at least one item of litter, easy to do since there are plenty of trash cans in the park where I do most of my mileage.
Now I’ve learned I’m not the only one. There’s even a name for it: plogging. The idea started fairly recently in Sweden, about 2016, and has quickly spread throughout the world. The term itself is Swedish, a combination of plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog). Its practitioners run with trash bags (frequently reusable) and sometimes trash grabbers. Gloves are also handy for retrieving glass shards and unsanitary items.
In addition to a cleaner environment, plogging provides some extra fitness benefits. All that bending and grasping can add an extra dimension to a workout, especially helping to develop better balance and flexibility.
In some areas the practice has become an organized activity. There are even clubs, like the Athleta Plogging Club in Spokane, Washington (https://www.facebook.com/events/295570834422269/).
So if you’re both into running for exercise and are concerned about the environment, this might be the activity for you.
An excellent article is “‘Plogging’ is the Swedish fitness craze for people who want to save the planet. It’s making its way to the U.S. ” by Allison Klein ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/02/23/plogging-is-the-swedish-fitness-craze-for-people-who-want-to-save-the-planet-its-making-its-way-to-the-u-s/?). The photo came from that site.