“Plogging” is a Swedish term used to describe picking up litter while running. The Mid-America Regional Council has launched Plogtober, a virtual plogging competition in Kansas City through October. There are two ways to participate.

1. Sign up to clean a specific trail on Oct. 17. Two of the many trails designated for clean-ups are in Johnson County; the Indian Creek Trail and the Mill Creek Streamway Trail.
2. Sign up to clean an area of your choosing (ex. your neighborhood or place of business) on a day of your choice in October.

By participating in this event, you can win prizes and help Johnson County earn the title of Kansas City’s Top Ploggers. Entry is free and you can register as an individual or team. Please register by Friday, Oct. 15.

The Kansas City Plogtober Cleanup is a great way to get outdoors and get some exercise while beautifying the community. Trash that ends up on the ground eventually moves into the water systems that pollute ecosystems and kill vital organisms.

“When people put trash on the ground, even if it’s not near a waterway, when it rains it gets washed into a storm drains and those can clog and that can cause issues for flooding and water quality.” said Heather Schmidt, Johnson County stormwater project manager. “If it’s on the ground, it’s in our water. Anything that you put on the ground will eventually make it into our waterways.”

The last in-person plogging event took place in 2019 with a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Learn more about plogging by listening to the JoCo on the Go podcast at jocogov.org/newsroom/podcast or visit CleanWaterKCMetro.org/kcplogtober/.