Cigarette butts on the street and in the squares? The ravens could do it and at very low cost. That’s right. In Sweden, in Södertäljea, near Stockholm, these birds are part of a pilot project developed by a startup, which has recruited the birds, trained to collect, deposit the butts in a machine that will then dispose of them: for each stub deposited, the birds earn food. Thus, on the one hand the problem of this kind of waste is contained, on the other hand it is done by reducing costs. “They are wild birds that participate on a voluntary basis”, underlined Christian Günther-Hanssen, founder of Corvid Cleaning, the startup at the head of the initiative.
How much do cigarette butts cost
It will also be on a voluntary basis but the crows are engaged in a rather relevant problem. According to the Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation, more than 1 billion cigarette butts (4.5 trillion worldwide) are left on Swedish streets every year, accounting for 62% of all waste. Not only. Cigarette filters can take up to 10 years to completely decompose, the chemicals they are made of (arsenic, lead and nicotine) can stay in the environment longer. Not to mention the costs. The Södertälje administration spends SEK 20 million, € 2 million, on street cleaning. Well for Günther-Hanssen the method developed by his startup could save at least 75% of costs.
The crows of New Caledonia
Why the crows? According to a 2014 study, crows displayed reasoning skills equivalent to a human child aged 7 to 10. “They are the easiest to train and there is also a greater chance that they will learn from each other. At the same time, there is a lower risk that they will mistakenly eat garbage” explained Christian Günther-Hanssen.
Training in detail
Birds are first trained to associate cigarette butts with food. After that a food dispenser is introduced which drops the food only when the crow arrives. Then, by taking away the rewards, the trainers incentivize the search so that the crows start pecking at the machine by hitting a button that drops the food. This paves the way for the fourth step where the birds find that the reward only goes down when they put the cigarette butts in an assigned container.
Ethical implications
It’s clear. Corvid Cleaning hopes that the pilot project will become a permanent solution that can be implemented in other parts of the country and possibly nationally. However, the new approach to cleaning waste, while it has gotten positive feedback online, has led people to question the ethical implications of this project. In fact, many have wondered if there are health complications by constantly exposing birds to toxins from cigarette butts. Furthermore, many fear that there is a risk of making them dependent on food distributors.