TikTok and the ‘Fake Beach Cleanup’ Scandal: When the Eco-Show Surpasses Reality

As the world’s beaches face record levels of plastic pollution, a worrying trend has emerged on TikTok: “fake beach cleanups,” where influencers pretend to pick up trash to gain likes, but are actually creating more environmental damage than they intend to solve.

What Are “Fake Cleanups”?

These are viral videos where:

• They stage scenes: They scatter previously collected (or even purchased) trash and then “clean” it up on camera.
• They deceive with editing: They use short shots and effects to make it appear they are collecting more plastic than they actually are.
• Some influencers earn up to $5,000 from sponsorships with “eco-friendly” brands that don’t verify their actions.

The Harmful Impact of This Trend

1. Real Unmanaged Trash: Most of these videos are filmed on already-cleaned beaches, diverting attention from critical areas.
2. Damage to credibility: Real activists are questioned by association.
3. Relocated waste: In some cases, the “collected” trash ends up abandoned off-camera.

Viral Cases That Raised Alarms

• @EcoGuru (2.3M followers): Filmed an “epic cleanup” in Bali, but locals confirmed they threw away new plastic bags before filming.
• #TrashChallengeScam: More than 40,000 videos with evidence of fake cleanups (e.g., the same containers repeated on different beaches).

How to Identify a Fake Cleanup

Red flags:

• The influencer doesn’t show how they dispose of the trash.
• The waste is suspiciously clean and tidy (bottles without worn labels).
• There is no collaboration with local NGOs or verifiable data (actual kilos collected).

Authentic Alternatives to Help

Join real initiatives:

• Ocean Conservancy organizes cleanups with transparent records.
• Apps like Litterati geolocate trash for efficient collections.

Report scams:

• TikTok now allows you to report content with the hashtag #EcoScam.

TikTok Responds (Or Not?)

In March 2025, the platform announced it would remove videos with “eco-scams,” but:

• Only 12% of reports resulted in deletions.
• Algorithms continue to promote these videos because of their high engagement rate.

The True Face of Eco-Content

While some pretend, projects like @PlasticPatrol (which documents every pound collected) show that real activism doesn’t require gimmicks.

“It’s not about likes, it’s about looking up from your phone and doing the dirty work that no one sees” — Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup.