Twitter user, Robbie McNeil, taking part. (Photo:Twitter)

An environmental challenge, dubbed #Trashtag, which encourages people to pick up trash from beaches, parks, and roadsides, and other public spaces, has gone viral.

Byron Román kickstarted the trend as he uploaded a photo of himself outdoors, surrounded by litter, alongside another photo of all the area tidied up.

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He captioned the photos: "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."

Román's post went viral on social media, with the hashtag 'TrashTag' and 'TrashTagChallenge' trending on Twitter; with thousands of users showing their before and after picture.

'A great opportunity'

In an interview with news channel CBS New York, a participant said: "It's a great opportunity to really care for your environment.

"We're at an age where everything's cyber, we all want to connect with each other through the use of social media so this is a great way to, like, let your neighbors know."

Filmmaker, Zach King, was one of the many influential people who joined in with the trend. He posted a video on Twitter of him picking up garbage, with the caption: "Saw the #trashtag and wanted to be a part of it. I honestly don’t think I’ve thought about picking up trash since I was little and was collecting cans to get the 5 cents.

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"If you have 5 minutes today, grab a bag and pick up a handful of trash in your neighborhood."