Plogging: Leading a healthy lifestyle while protecting the environment

Plogging: Leading a healthy lifestyle while protecting the environment

On 16 September, over 250 people participated in the “Plogging 2023 – Walking and waste pick-up” event organised by RMIT University Vietnam in collaboration with the Youth Union of District 7, Ho Chi Minh City.

Plogging is a term combining “jogging” and "picking up," where participants pick up trash along their walking route. This movement is encouraged in many countries with a positive message of promoting a healthy and environmentally responsible lifestyle.

The event aimed to involve people on World Cleanup Day, uniting efforts to cleanse the polluted streets in Phu My and Tan Phong wards of District 7.

The “Plogging 2023 – Walking and waste pick-up” event aimed to involve people on World Cleanup Day. The “Plogging 2023 – Walking and waste pick-up” event aimed to involve people on World Cleanup Day.

Participants consisted of representatives from District 7 People's Committee, District 7 Youth Union, RMIT Vietnam, over 200 local residents, and many RMIT staff and students.

Ms Nguyen Thi Be Ngoan, Deputy Chairman of District 7 People's Committee, stated, “This race marks a new development in the local environmental protection movement. Through specific and meaningful activities, this event helps union members, youth, and RMIT students continuously raise awareness and actively engage in environmental protection, maintaining a green lifestyle and contributing to improving the quality of life in District 7.”

She also believed that “the movement will further integrate into our daily lives, evolving into a beautiful practice and a regular part of everyone's lives within the broader community."

Ms Olivia Wood, RMIT Vietnam’s Interim Executive Director Operations, Strategy and Operations shared: “At RMIT, we have been diligently working towards becoming leaders in waste management. Our aspiration is for sustainable waste management that yields practical results for the entire District 7 community and our society at large.

“Our hope is that every household and every individual will embrace Plogging as a daily practice – a way of expressing our responsibility, and our care for the environment”, said Ms Wood.

Mr Mai Trong Thang, Secretary of District 7 Youth Union, emphasised: “This is a pioneering initiative in the city, encompassing environmental protection, waste sorting, and a fitness-oriented approach. This activity not only fosters awareness among residents, particularly the youth, regarding green and clean living and environmental preservation within District 7 but also holds the potential to become a new trend spreading further in Ho Chi Minh City and throughout the nation."

During the competition, teams collected and sorted plastic waste into two categories: clean plastic and other plastic waste. During the competition, teams collected and sorted plastic waste into two categories: clean plastic and other plastic waste.

During the “Plogging 2023 – Walking and waste pick-up” event, teams collected trash along the route for 1.5 hours. Plastic waste was sorted into two categories: clean plastic (not contaminated, containing liquids and leftover food) and other plastic waste. The results were based on the total weight of collected plastic and the correct classification ratio between clean and contaminated plastic waste. Participants collected 364.6 kilograms of plastic waste, with 10 kilograms of it being clean plastic.

For the clean plastic waste, the organisers directed it to recycling facilities where it could be transformed into useful materials for making tables, chairs, bins, canopies, and even houses. Previously, when all types of plastic waste were collected together, it would be sent to landfills, taking at least 450 years and potentially thousands of years for disposable packaging, plastic cups, and single-use plastics to degrade.

Participants collected 364.6 kilograms of plastic waste, with 10 kilograms of it being clean plastic. Participants collected 364.6 kilograms of plastic waste, with 10 kilograms of it being clean plastic.

The event provided various information about curbing single-use plastic, sorting clean plastic waste, and recycling plastic to motivate participants to take action and amplify recycling efforts, thereby mitigating the negative impact on the environment. This race contributes to the cultivation of a sustainable lifestyle, health protection, as well as environmental and social responsibility.

Pham Thi Ngoc Trang, an RMIT University student, shared, “I find this event highly meaningful, as it raises people's awareness of the significance of waste sorting and the enhancement of recycling practices. Moreover, individuals will gain insight into the detrimental effects of single-use plastics and their impact on the environment."

“I hope that waste sorting will be practiced even more frequently, transforming into a daily habit, thus alleviating the strain on increasingly burdened waste collection systems, fostering the creation of new resources, and propelling us toward a more sustainable lifestyle.”

Story: June Pham

18 September 2023

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