somebody.

Somebody left it. Somebody’s picking it up.

The litter never left. It’s time to talk about it again. 1–30 November 2026, all 33 London boroughs, one high street at a time, every item counted. A @theplogman campaign.

Claim your boroughHow to take part

33 boroughs still need a somebody. DM us the word SOMEBODY and your borough.

Who litters? People around us!
Whose surroundings are these? Ours!
Who is affected the most? Us!
Who pays the taxes? Us!
It’s just all about us. Why does it then become a ‘Somebody’ thing out of nowhere?

Vivek Gurav, @theplogman

The litter never left.

It’s still in nine out of ten places in England, most people say it’s getting worse, and the national Litter Strategy dates from 2017. It’s time to talk about it again.

9 in 100places surveyed in England in 2023–24 were litter-free
77%of people say litter has got worse in recent years
almost 3×as much litter in the most deprived areas as in the least
2017when England’s national Litter Strategy was published

There is movement. A deposit return scheme for drinks containers is due in England in October 2027, which targets drinks litter. It’s a start. The streets need more than that.

Sources: Keep Britain Tidy, A Rubbish Reality · PA on the 2023–24 survey · Circular Online · LocalGov on deprivation · GOV.UK Litter Strategy · letsrecycle on the deposit return scheme

Why we’re doing this

Litter is the one climate problem you can fix with your hands in an hour, and the one nobody owns. Everyone walks past it because somebody else will sort it. That somebody is usually nobody.

I’ve watched this play out in Pune, where rivers had turned into drains, and across 40+ cities. After my first Christmas in London I realised UK streets were as littered as the ones back home. I see litter as the biggest problem in the fight against climate change, and the easiest one to start on.

So this month we count it. A counted street is evidence, not just a tidy-up, and numbers are what get councils, brands and the press to act. We do it in all 33 boroughs because London doesn’t have a litter problem in one place. It has one everywhere, and every borough should see its own number.

How to be a somebody

  1. Join one plogOne hour, one high street. We bring bags and litter pickers, you bring gloves. No running needed.
  2. Lead your boroughLive or work in one? Claim it. You pick the high street and the time, and we send you the counting sheet and the kit.
  3. Count and postSend us your numbers and a photo of the haul. Tag @theplogman and #SomebodyLondon.
  4. Bring somebodyEvery plog needs more than one person. Bring a friend, a colleague or your running club.
Claim your borough

The count

Every item, every borough, published as we go. No carbon claims, just what came off the street.

0items counted
0kg collected
0bags filled
0km walked
0 / 33boroughs done
0somebodies took part

What we’re finding

Most-littered brands

We log the brand on every item we can read. The top ten goes up here and goes to the brands.

All 33 boroughs

needs a somebodyclaimeddone

Borough reports

After every plog: the photo, the count and what we found.

The first report goes up after the 1 November plog.

Plog calendar

One borough a day. The evening before, we post that day’s borough and meeting point in the group. These days have a job to do:

Who’s the somebody?

I’m Vivek, the Plogman. Plogging means jogging while picking up litter. I started in Pune, took it to Bristol, then to cities across the UK, Portugal, Germany and India. This is the road so far. Tap any photo to enlarge it.

I founded Pune Ploggers. It grew into plogging communities in 30+ cities across India.

I moved to the UK for an MSc in Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Bristol, on a Think Big scholarship. On 4 February 2022 I started a 30-day challenge: three miles and at least one bag of litter, every day. Then I started Bristol Ploggers: 140 volunteers from 12 nationalities, 400 miles of streets and 3,750kg of litter.

The Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, for 250 running challenges and 3,750kg of litter cleared in Bristol with 140+ volunteers. Later, an invitation to 10 Downing Street from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Speaker at COY17, the youth version of COP, in Sharm el-Sheikh.

People in Manchester, Leeds and Derby kept asking me to come and plog there, so I did. I started on 10 December in Cardiff and Swansea, with local volunteers in every city and a route recce before each one. 250+ volunteers joined and we collected 360kg of litter over about 1,500 miles. Nearly a third of the days had travel disruption, and I got stuck in Lincoln. Stops included Oxford, where I met economist Kate Raworth.

30 days across 30 areas of London in the summer. That November the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote to thank me for mobilising plogging communities to clean up litter in the city.

Yatra means pilgrimage in Hindi. I launched PlogYatra in London in January 2025 and set out to plog through 50 UK cities over four months. It became a longer road: UK cities, then Faro, Lisbon and Coimbra in Portugal, Bremen and Hamburg in Germany, and many cities across India. Scotland and Northern Ireland never happened. The idea behind it: climate action starts with individual responsibility, not just shouting for the government to act.

All 33 London boroughs in 30 days. You’re here.

30+cities with plogging communities
10,000+volunteers and members
40+cities plogged
5,000kgof litter cleared in Bristol in one year

“I believe in doing and not sitting around and blaming others for everything that is wrong around me. Being the change I wish to see in the world, that’s my mantra so far.”

Vivek Gurav

“It’s not just about climate change overall, but it’s also more about the small things that are responsible for climate change, and that is individual action, people’s attitudes. We need to do something about that.”

Vivek Gurav

Recognition

In the press

A selection, from the University of Bristol and ITV to the Tribune, Outlook and the Free Press Journal. Journalists: the media kit has bios, numbers and photos you can use.

Questions

Do I need to run?

No. Plogging started as jogging with litter picking, but this campaign is walking pace. One hour, one high street.

What do I bring?

Gloves, and shoes you can walk in. We bring bags and litter pickers.

How do we count?

Same categories in every borough: cigarette butts, vapes, bottles, cans, takeaway packaging, other. We also note the brand where we can read it. We publish totals by borough and share them with councils.

Is it safe?

Gloves and litter pickers only. Never touch needles, sharps or anything you’re unsure about, and report them to the council. Stay off roads and wear hi-vis in low light.

Can I bring friends, colleagues or a club?

Yes, and please do. Tell us the borough and we’ll tell you where to meet.

Different streets, same job

Follow along

The daily reels, counts and stories are on Instagram. Tag @theplogman and #SomebodyLondon when you post your haul.

@theplogman on InstagramMedia kit

Councils, press and partners

We’re working with boroughs on bag collection and kit, and sharing the data with anyone who can use it. Message @theplogman on Instagram to get in touch.