After the #MomoChallenge hoax resurfaced last month, a “new” viral trend is spreading across the web and it’s actually… not dangerous!
Instead of dancing beside a moving vehicle #KikiChallenge, walking around blindfolded #BirdBoxChallenge, consuming colorful laundry detergent #TidePodChallenge, and promoting self-harm, the #TrashTag challenge is compelling people across the globe to clean up nearby locations, and post before and after pictures on social media.
The challenge isn’t new though. It was first promoted in 2015 as the #TrashTag Project by Seattle-based company UCO Gear, with the goal of picking up 10,000 pieces of trash by October 2016. Since then, its popularity has dwindled.
It wasn’t until last week when the challenge had a resurgence after Arizona resident Byron Román posted it on Facebook, urging bored teens to collect trash from nearby areas that need some cleaning and maintenance.
As of this writing, Román’s Facebook post has now reached 331,000 shares and 99,000 likes, and even more people are riding on the trend, sharing their their cleanup efforts across different social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram.
This viral phenomenon has been helping raise awareness of plastic pollution and it’s inspiring people to be better stewards of the environment. But until we all agree to stop using single-use plastic, the #TrashTag challenge would just be another trend that fades out.
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