It’s not the ice bucket challenge, but this new, eco-friendly social media trend is encouraging people around the world to clean up litter.

The #TrashTag challenge was launched by American Facebook user Byron Román, who posted photos of a clean-up undertaken by Algerian environmental activist Drici Tani Younes along with a call to action for others to get involved. 

The post quickly went viral as others took up the challenge and began cleaning up local areas in need of revitalising. From mountains to beaches and forests to riverbanks, the #TrashTag movement has inspired people around the world to get involved and deal with the trash in their area.

Participants are tasked with taking a “before” photo of an area covered in trash and refreshing it for an “after” photo. A dedicated Instagram account (@trashtagchallenge) has now been created to share the results of the numerous clean-ups with the world.

While cleaning up the trash in our natural environment is an important first step, it is important to remember that this trash must be disposed of responsibly to achieve a positive outcome. Furthermore, the best thing one can do to limit litter is to avoid the waste in the first place.

 

Positive Action

• Follow @trashtagchallenge on Instagram and Facebook to see the spectacular results of clean-up events from around the world.
• If you hold a #trashtagchallenge or general clean-up of your own, visit RecyclingNearYou to ensure the waste you collect is recycled or responsibly disposed of.

 

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Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.