#Trashtag is a viral internet trend started by Byron Roman who posted before and after photos of a trash cleanup he did, encouraging teens to join in. Since the original photos were shared, thousands of people around the world have done their own #Trashtag, including a student from BDHS.  

Senior Nicole Ardovino recently did a trash cleanup in her neighborhood park, where trash filled the surrounding woods and polluted the creek. “I heard about this challenge through social media, where I saw someone do it on an extremely polluted beach,” shared Ardovino.  “I run the Easter egg hunt for my entire neighborhood and since it takes place in this park, I thought it would be nice to make it cleaner for all the kids who will be running through the woods in a few weeks.” 

After an hour of hard, consistent work, Ardovino had filled 5 bags of trash. “The most common trash was, without a doubt, plastic grocery bags. There were so many caught on logs or sticks floating halfway in the water- I can’t imagine how many frogs or other animals have gotten stuck inside them. It was really heart breaking to find,” says Ardovino.  

The #Trashtag movement is one that Ardovino feels is very powerful and can make a huge impact in the world. “I think it’s really good that helping the environment is being aimed at adolescents and young adults because we are the ones who need to come up with solutions to fix the problems.”  

 This challenge is something Ardovino hopes to do again, specifically on a beach. “I feel I could make a much bigger impact on an area like that, especially with the abundance of animals that live in that environment.” Though the park is just one small place, it was the perfect place for Ardovino to start the movement.