#Trashtag,
the global campaign to leverage people’s initiative in riding public space of its garbage has hit the
shores of Goa. After a joint initiative between Drishti Lifesaving Pvt ltd and
a radio station, where listeners could report about garbage and litter and the
Beach cleaning services would move in to clean area, the initiative is being
carried forward by Herald, in its Cafe section.
This will enable readers to send in their photos and messages
whenever they find garbage or litter to Team Herald. We will then pick the one
that needs immediate attention (and will attempt to report and get each place
cleaned up)
We will announce details of this shortly, but for now let us
look back on a campaign of people’s participation in ridding Goa of its mess a
campaign that needs to be carried forward
The challenge through began through Radio Indigo on April 4,
2019. People were told to click images everyday of areas filled with trash and
send the pictures
Drishti meanwhile got additional workers to act on citizen’s
pictures, texts and information to rush to the spots to clean them and meet the
#Trashtag challenge.
Bambolim was the first place to be covered with 1.5tons of
garbage. In another 4 days 2.5 tons of garbage was collected by covering the
major areas like Old Goa, Dona Paul, Caranzalem and Bambolim.
The garbage is segregated by the Drishti team and then taken to
the Saligao waste garbage plant.
This challenge which started on April 19 will wind up with the
Blockbuster Garbage Cleaning where only the Drishti hands won’t be enough. “The
only worry is, after cleaning people should not litter the place again because
on the first day in Bambolim after cleaning again there was litter the next
day. When there are advantages like this we need to maintain the surroundings,”
says Reo Raymond, a Radio Jockey.
Glenda Mascarenas, an environmental Studies educationist
believes that when #Trashtag challenge has people clicking images and cleaning
up areas, to gain likes and views, they are unknowingly and indirectly still
contributing to a healthy ecosystem. “I’ve seen many students just enjoying and
doing this for fun, some even pick up and clean certain areas and then post the
images only to be noticed. Someone somewhere is looking at those posts and
being inspired. It is in fact an effective challenge and in Goa it’s just
begun”
Similarly, an ex -environmental secretary of Don Bosco College,
Aslesha Noronha simply but conclusively says, “It’s the best challenge ever!”
Though Ashlesha and her friends do not post pictures, they
constantly visit the beach and while doing so end up picking garbage and
throwing in bins close by. “It’s our pastime, but I didn’t know that indirectly
we were actually doing something good. For us it was a game- Who picks up the
trash first,” she says. Ashlesha also explains that during summer camps and
workshops for kids, they should have special practical classes on keeping the
environment clean by picking up trash. “It actually works,” she adds
It surely does, and Herald will now be a platform to link your
efforts to cleaner solutions.
(Herald
Cafe also invites citizens groups, NGOs awakened individuals in Goa, who have
led or participated in community efforts to clean garbage and mail us your
stories on cafe@herald-goa.com with the subject line #Trashtag Goa)
The HASHTAG that went viral
• Hashtag trends are
known to be fun and trendy and meant to entertain everyone.
• The hashtag
#Trashtag blew up on social media when a Reddit user posted a screenshot of a
person completing the challenge.
• Then it all started
and spread globally…
• In this challenge
people post pictures of before-after pictures of them cleaning any specific
place.
• The challenge has
been taken up by people across countries and goes by different names including
#CleanUpChallenge, #trashchallenge and #ChallengeforChange.
•
The viral #Trashtag Challenge thus encourages people to clean up litter in
their local communities.
