‘Instagram’ your food packaging to increase recycling rates

Sometimes an idea is so simple, that it just has to work, right? At least that's the goal of Litterati, a social movement site utilizing Instagram, an online photo sharing and social networking service.

According to its website, by combining technology, social awareness and art, "the Litterati is tackling this ever-escalating problem one piece of litter at a time."

The photo gallery, called the Digital Landfill, showcases different pieces of litter that is picked up. The founder said that with "geo-tagging, we're able to provide insight into problem areas and highlight the most active Litterati communities. Keyword tags on the photos help identify those brands and products that generate the most litter."

They will use this information "to work with companies and organizations to find environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions."

The rules are (relatively) easy:

1. Find a piece of litter

2. Photograph it with Instagram,

3. Hashtag your photo with #LITTERATI

4. Throw away, recycle or compost the litter

The Litterati impact as of now, according to the site:

The top three most commonly found items: cigarettes, plastic (such as bags, bottles, caps) and Starbucks.

With all the push toward higher recycling rates, any little bit can help. I'm curious to get reader feedback on an initiative like this. Do you believe it can help increase recycling rates? Will you use it? Perhaps most importantly, do you know what Instagram is?

Let me know your thoughts.