Volunteers are pledging to collect a bag of rubbish in their local community during the ‘Walk and Collect Weekend', a Facebook event which is quickly gaining momentum and expected to exceed 1000 participants.

The event encourages Kiwis to head out for a walk in their local community and collect a bag of litter during the weekend of December 7 and 8.

Organisers say that as well as gaining a strong sense of purpose there are also spot prizes being offered to participants.

The event has been organised nation-wide by Auckland couple Caroline and Haydn Gray, who consider themselves ‘ploggers'.

The term ‘plogging' is used worldwide to refer to the activity of walking or jogging and collecting litter at the same time.

The word itself is a combination of the Swedish word ‘plocka' or picking up, and jogging.

As well as plogging individually, Caroline and Haydn have also introduced their children James, age 8, and Benji, age 7, to the concept and go out collecting as a family.

'Our two boys seem to have a keen eye for spotting rubbish as well as other treasures. My elder son once found a $20 note, which has boosted his enthusiasm for collecting!” says Caroline.

Caroline, who works as a business consultant, started ‘plogging' earlier in the year following a conscious decision to clean up her neighbourhood.

'The first time I went plogging I walked six kilometres and collected five bags of rubbish. In some ways it was disheartening discovering so much litter, but on the other hand I also felt like I'd done something rewarding.

'When you start actively looking for rubbish, it's amazing how much you will find in your local streets.”

Not only are there great environmental benefits to collecting rubbish, it's also a great form of exercise. 'It moves your body in more ways than traditional jogging,” says Caroline. 'Your legs get a great workout from all the lunging and squatting and your arms also get worked when the bag gets heavy!” Beyond that, Caroline and Haydn say that collecting litter is an activity that can make you feel like you've done a really positive and worthwhile thing.

The couple are running a Facebook page, with the opportunity for people to win prizes by positing photos of themselves collecting rubbish on the Walk and Collect Weekend. Sponsors of prizes include The Coffee Club, Trelise Cooper, Foodbox, Lifestream and Resene.

The couple hopes that getting people out ‘plogging' will help the idea catch on in New Zealand.

'Too often we think that picking up litter is someone else's job. Collecting rubbish is such a simple way we can help our community, the environment and our own health and wellbeing,” says Haydn, who is a dentist.

They also hope to change the perception that people have to head to a public space like a park or beach to collect litter.

'The unfortunate truth is that there is a lot of litter lying around and you only need to walk your neighbourhood streets to find it,” says Caroline.

Further information or to participate in the 'Walk and Collect Weekend” can be found on Facebook here