A good friend recently contacted me on Facebook, sending me
a graphic that warned of the danger that discarded chewing gum poses to small birds. “Thank
you for your counter-litterbug blog and activities.” she wrote. “This reminded
me of you!”
I’ve mentioned threats to wildlife before, and this seemed
like a good prod in the direction of a full post devoted to specific wildlife
threats. I've heard a few horror
stories: marine birds and other animals snarled in plastic six-pack rings,
pigeons exploding after eating processed rice, and now, gum mistaken for bread
by unsuspecting finches.
Only, as it turns out, none of these appear to stand up to inspection.
We are a soundbite culture, and it is tempting to grasp onto
something simple and graphic and rally behind it. For example, there are documented cases of seabirds
and other wildlife caught in the plastic rings used to hold soda cans. It’s a shocking picture, and it’s easy to
hold in your mind. It’s a simple thing
to talk about, and it makes us feel like heroes when we cut up the rings before
putting them in the trash.
However, plastic rings are not the top culprit in the entanglement
and death of animals, marine or otherwise.
Far more animals are snared in discarded nets and fishing line. Here’s one article that summarizes the issue
well: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1336/should-you-cut-up-six-pack-rings-so-they-dont-choke-sea-birds. Does this mean you shouldn’t cut up the rings? No, but you should realize that you may not be making the impact you think you are. It may be more helpful to ensure that the rings are part of trash that is properly
bagged and discarded in a responsible landfill (yes, even landfills are getting
their act together: http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/hazmat/articles/trash.html).
My ask is that if you read about a compelling and viral environmental
issue, please check your facts before you repost. Other examples:
- Chewing gum is probably not a credible health threat to birds, and no, birds are not so dumb that they mistake gum for bread: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/gumbirds.asp
- Birds do not explode when they eat dry rice: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp
So, if none of these are significant threats, what type of litter has a real impact on the natural world, and how can we best act to limit the damage?
Here are some likely culprits:
- Litter on beaches or in waterways. I’ve written about the great vortex of plastic trash in the Pacific ocean and the impact it has on the ecosystem. Keeping garbage out of waterways and off beaches seems like a great investment of time. The threat of marine animals attempting to eat floating plastic bags is alone cited more frequently than the problem of plastic soda rings. (http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/science/wildlife-under-threat-from-record-beach-litter-$1218176.htm, http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/debris/toolkit/files/Sec3.litterinwaterways508.pdf ).
- Pesticides and household hazardous waste. Runoff from fields, spills from industrial operations, and storm runoff that includes the results of your last oil change have a long lasting impact, and the bioconcentration that occurs over time is a direct threat to the species at the top of the food chain (that means us). (http://www.chintiminiwildlife.org/Education/LivingWithWild/Litter.htm )
- Cigarette butts. Not only is nicotine a potent toxin, but cigarette filters contain toxic materials that I don’t even want to think about, let alone see leach into my soil (http://www.legacyforhealth.org/our-issues/cigarettes-and-the-environment, http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/ciglitterarticle.htm, http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/45874). By the way, in case you get into the trap of thinking there’s no hope, know that some scientists are making progress on solutions (http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2012/06/2012-0725-biodegradable-cigarette-filters/ ).
Those three are a good place to start. Since researching this article, I’ve stepped up my
efforts to clear the ground of cigarette butts.
I urge you to do the same.
At
least one piece, friends: It’s for the birds.
