Plogging & Blue Coins: The Green Future is Now in Mozambique!
- James Clark
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Have you heard of plogging? If not, why not! Originating in Sweden around 2016, the term ‘plogging’ is a blend of the Swedish verb plocka (to pick up) and the English word jogging. This hobby, consisting of joggers cleaning up their communities mid-stride, perfectly encapsulates the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign’s partnership with Commonwealth Sport. Now, thanks to Mozambique, plogging has become part of the campaign.
On 4 September 2025, Mozambique burst into the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign with a plogging clean-up at Costa do Sol Beach, Maputo. Organised by the Associação Moçambicana de Reciclagem (AMOR), in partnership with the Mozambican National Olympic Committee Federation and with support from the Mozambique Kite Surfing Association (MOKA).
More than 100 university students and athletes took part, including 50 officially registered participants, with a strong gender balance. After an awareness session on responsible waste management, participants received equipment and took part in a plogging session.
By the end of the day, participants had removed 871 kg of waste from Costa do Sol Beach:
Plastic: 706.6 kg
Glass: 126.8 kg
Textiles: 26.4 kg
Paper/Cardboard: 11.2 kg
All waste collected was weighed and digitally registered using KOLEKT, AMOR’s traceability tool, which assigns value to waste and provides economic incentives for recycling.
Blue Coins (Créditos Azuis) is an innovative model by AMOR that gives economic value to waste removal, particularly in coastal and mangrove areas. Each ‘Blue Coin’ represents the cost of removing one tonne of waste, creating a clear and scalable metric for environmental action.
Through the system, AMOR buys collected waste by weight, providing income to community members and waste collectors. This not only reduces pollution but also fosters socio-economic inclusion by turning waste management into a valued activity. All transactions are documented through KOLEKT, a digital platform that records who collected the waste, where, and how it was disposed of - ensuring transparency and traceability.
The initiative engages a wide range of stakeholders, including private sector partners, municipalities, and local communities. By linking environmental protection with livelihoods, Blue Coins has already supported the removal of thousands of tonnes of waste while protecting fragile ecosystems like beaches and mangroves.
As both a financing and monitoring tool, Blue Coins demonstrates how innovative approaches can address waste pollution, create sustainable income opportunities, and strengthen Mozambique’s leadership in the circular economy.
This event showcased Mozambique’s leadership in linking environmental protection with community empowerment, reinforcing AMOR’s track record of having already collected more than 1,200 tonnes of waste nationwide through the Blue Coins system.
Speaking at the event, partners emphasised that the activity not only honoured the King’s Baton Relay but also provided a blueprint for future collaboration across the Commonwealth. By integrating innovative tools such as KOLEKT for waste monitoring and adopting scalable models like Blue Coins, Mozambique’s initiative underscored the Commonwealth’s shared commitment to clean oceans and a sustainable future.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign will prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.
The campaign will combine education and local action to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste, highlight alternatives, and reduce pollution across the Commonwealth.
For the action component of the campaign, the Royal Commonwealth Society has partnered with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign as a core component of The King’s Baton Relay. This newly envisioned King’s Baton Relay will focus on sustainability and environmentalism and was launched by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025, beginning a 500-day journey to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2026.
Journeying through every Commonwealth nation and territory, this partnership will bring together young people, athletes, conservation groups, and the local community for a week of activities, including a plastic clean-up.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
