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In an initiative to tackle litter, the Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation has launched a pilot project that enlists an unexpected workforce: crows. These intelligent birds, chosen for their remarkable ability to learn and adapt, are being trained to pick up cigarette butts and other discarded items from the streets in exchange for food rewards.
The project, aptly named “Corvid Cleaning,” employs a specially designed machine that distinguishes between litter and natural materials like leaves.When a crow deposits a cigarette butt into the machine, it receives a food reward. Founder Christian Günther-Hanssen, who insists that the birds are “taking part on a voluntary basis,” believes this innovative approach could significantly cut down on the city’s street-cleaning expenses.
Cigarette butts are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution, with an estimated 4.5 trillion butts littering the world today. In Sweden alone, the cost of keeping streets free of debris amounts to roughly 20 million Swedish krona (around $2.2 million) annually. Günther-Hanssen predicts that this crow-powered clean-up could reduce those costs by 75% or more.
The pilot project, which aims to turn crows into custodians of the city’s streets, could save the city approximately £1.6 million each year. If successful, this initiative might inspire other cities to adopt similar eco-friendly and cost-effective strategies, demonstrating that even the smallest creatures can make a big difference in the fight against pollution.
The project, aptly named “Corvid Cleaning,” employs a specially designed machine that distinguishes between litter and natural materials like leaves.When a crow deposits a cigarette butt into the machine, it receives a food reward. Founder Christian Günther-Hanssen, who insists that the birds are “taking part on a voluntary basis,” believes this innovative approach could significantly cut down on the city’s street-cleaning expenses.
Cigarette butts are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution, with an estimated 4.5 trillion butts littering the world today. In Sweden alone, the cost of keeping streets free of debris amounts to roughly 20 million Swedish krona (around $2.2 million) annually. Günther-Hanssen predicts that this crow-powered clean-up could reduce those costs by 75% or more.
The pilot project, which aims to turn crows into custodians of the city’s streets, could save the city approximately £1.6 million each year. If successful, this initiative might inspire other cities to adopt similar eco-friendly and cost-effective strategies, demonstrating that even the smallest creatures can make a big difference in the fight against pollution.
