One thing we can all agree on is that viral challenges are the stupidest thing mankind have invented. Save for the ice bucket challenge and perhaps a handful others, most of such challenges were not only stupid but also dangerous. Even seemingly harmless challenge like planking had resulted in death – mainly due to stupidity (Darwin, you were right about natural selection). We are not one to promote challenges, but this latest viral trend that encourages people to clean up beaches and parks littered with trash is one we can all agree on.

Finally, something good has come to viral challenges. If you ask me, it is one up the ice bucket challenge because, with #TrashTag, as it is referred to, people actually rolled up their sleeves and get down to work. We have noticed the trash viral challenge a few days ago on Reddit when we started to see people posting before and after photos of the area they have cleaned up. A few days on, more and more people are doing the same and before you know it, it became a full-blown viral trend.

Apparently, the challenge was conceived way back in 2015 when UCO, a Canadian brand of outdoor essentials, announced the challenge and their goal of picking up 10,000 pieces of trash in a year to meet the challenge. Clearly, the effort by UCO didn’t take off until 4 years later and it probably have Reddit to thank. But I guess it is better late than never, right? We have seeing a lot of posts on Reddit’s front page of people sharing the results of their own cleanup since late last week.

Since yesterday, we knew this is going to be big and sure enough, when we Googled it, we saw that GreenMatters, Time.com and several media (and now us) had covered it. I gotta say, this is one challenge well worth covering. It is also a challenge that open our eyes to how much trash were errantly thrown. Seriously, were there no trash cans around? Or can’t people just keep the trash with them until they see a bin? Really, it was a revelation that makes me ask “how did that one place become a dumping ground for rubbish?”

Oh, wait. Just caught a neighbor’s child conveniently dropped her ice cream wrapper at the corridor as I was coming back from lunch. Now, I know why…

Featured image: Reddit (u/UAWMF).

Source: GreenMatters.

Published by Mike

Avid tech enthusiast, gadget lover, marketing critic and most importantly, love to reason and talk.