Ben Michaud profits while plogging through Southern Maine

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Chugging along with a bright yellow backpack and a trash grabber, Ben Michaud can seem giddy about collecting trash.

Since January, Michaud has been collecting bottles and cans to later redeem for cold hard cash as he runs around Southern Maine. He has amassed a following and modest profit from his ‘plogging’ adventures.

The term plogging comes from Sweden as a mix between the Swedish verbs ‘plocka up,’ meaning pick up, and ‘jogga,’ meaning jog, and was first coined by Erik Ahlstrom.

Michaud has borrowed the term for his social media handle, @ploggarun, where he can be found on Instagram and TikTok documenting his plogging adventures.

Where there are people, there tends to be trash, says Michaud, a South Portland resident.

“The busiest roads, because that