The problem of litter is a global issue needing to be addressed during the debate on climate change. Discarded cigarette butts have become a problem in cities where local governments spend millions cleaning them up. The city of Sodertalje in Sweden has taken a novel approach to clean up cigarette butts. The city has employed Corvid Cleaning to train birds to pick up discarded cigarette butts and deposit them in a machine that provides a small amount of food for each butt deposited.
Corvid Cleaning uses New Caledonian crows to clean the streets and squares of the city near Stockholm. The crows have become a media sensation and can reduce the average litter pickup bill of the city, which currently stands at over $2 million. The cleaning company has already shown their training of New Caledonian crows is a success. The choice of the New Caledonian variety was made because of their problem-solving abilities. New Caledonian crows have been the subject of scientific studies, revealing they problem-solve to the level of the average seven-year-old.
The company behind the training of the birds believes the benefits of their work will be shown for humans and the bird population. Providing a small amount of food will ensure the New Caledonian crows will continue to pick up cigarette butts while food is made available for them. The company hopes the crows will be able to train other birds to pick up butts in return for food. Bird species are struggling in the litter crisis engulfing our cities. The scarcity of food means birds will often pick up litter and eat it. Corvid Cleaning hopes the ability of other bird species to learn from its New Caledonian crows will reduce the potential for sickness and disease in the bird population.
Politicians in Sodertalje are backing a pilot scheme to determine the benefits of Corvid Cleaning’s work to the city. The estimated cost of providing machines and food for the crows to use is a quarter of the cost of human clean-up. The lower risk of birds mistakenly eating cigarette butts will positively impact the environment of cities around the world.