Social media challenges are a funny phenomenon: Nobody really knows how they start or get so popular, but before you know it, people are throwing slices of cheese on their babies' faces.

It gets better every time I watch it pic.twitter.com/QPRN42x8Xo

— ᴀᴄ ૐ (@annaclairerusso) March 1, 2019

There have been a number of viral challenges over the years, from challenging others to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon powder, to dumping buckets of ice cold water in the name of charity.

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#TrashTag challenge

However, a new viral challenge aims to get people to actually do something beneficial for the planet - picking up trash.

The #TrashTag challenge is inspiring thousands of people to pick up rubbish from polluted places, and then post it on social media, usually accompanied with the before and after pictures.

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Going viral

At the time of writing, there are more than 38,000 posts uploaded on Instagram tagged with #TrashTag, with people from all over the globe sharing pictures of all the trash they managed to clean up.

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Some users have also put a creative spin on the challenge, like travel vlogger Jordan Simons, who used a drone to get a much wider aerial view of the before and after scene.

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Popular Viner Zach King also decided to have some fun with the challenge.

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How it started

#TrashTag was actually an initiative started in 2015 by UCO, an outdoor gear brand, and their ambassador at that time Steven Reinhold used social media to inspire others to pick up trash during their roadtrips and holidays.

The trend was recently rekindled two weeks ago by Byron Román, a Facebook user in Arizona, who said:

Here is a new challenge for all you bored teens. Take a photo of an area that needs some cleaning or maintenance, then take a photo after you have done something about it, and post it.

Singaporeans taking up the challenge

The challenge has started to spread to our shores.

For example, Kerrin Kua in Singapore headed to Pasir Ris Park over the weekend to pick up whatever trash she could find.

With the help of some friends, Kua managed to clear up quite a bit of trash, as well as a large stack of straws (which she really really hates).

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Kua is planning to do the #TrashTag challenge again on another weekend with a larger group of friends.

Hopefully this will inspire more people in Singapore to participate, or at the very least become more mindful of their plastic consumption and how it damages the planet.

If you need more reasons to do this challenge, read this.

Featured image by Jordan Simons.