A partial solution to litter problems

Sheffield James · Aug 12, 2018

I came across this news story yesterday and I thought it worth sharing.
http://news.sky.com/story/french-theme-park-uses-crows-to-pick-up-litter-and-cigarettes-11469984

TMcA · Aug 12, 2018

Maybe a better solution is us, the readers of this forum. Why don't we all commit to picking up a couple of pieces of litter each day of our hike.

I have mentioned earlier on this forum that I reuse sandwich bags from home. I just store them, stuff a wad into my pack each year (and each time I hike at home), and carry them with me to Spain, France, or Portugal. They weigh practically nothing. (I am talking about the clear plastic sandwich bags, not the paper bags which we call a "lunch" bag here in the U.S.)

Another thing we could do is, if we are close to someone who has littered, stop them politely and offer one of these bags for collecting the waste that has been dropped.

Let's give back as we walk.

Tom

Bala · Aug 12, 2018

I see the birds are rewarded with food every time they drop a piece of trash in a bucket. Maybe pilgrims could be rewarded with a cafe con leche or a vino tinto for doing the same!

Nah, never mind. Probably wouldn't work.

Glamgrrl · Aug 12, 2018

I saw lots of tissue trash. Some was obvious that it was discarded, I’m somewhat convinced that others were tissue that didn’t make it back into the pocket someone was trying to put it into, or wiggled up a pocket and fell out. My thought and efforts were to be more aware that my tissue was secure in a pocket. As you’re walking, if you go into a pocket for something, and it also has tissue in it, realize the tissue can fall out unnoticed, especially when you’re walking.

WalkingJane · Aug 12, 2018

Sheffield James said:
I came across this news story yesterday and I thought it worth sharing.
http://news.sky.com/story/french-theme-park-uses-crows-to-pick-up-litter-and-cigarettes-11469984

Great! I love crows and we have lots of them here in Tacoma WA.

John Crawford Howell · Aug 12, 2018

...and also here in Anacortes, WA.

Icacos · Aug 13, 2018

WalkingJane said:
Great! I love crows and we have lots of them here in Tacoma WA.

John Crawford Howell said:
...and also here in Anacortes, WA.

That doesn't surprise me. Isn't it at the University of Seattle WA where all the crow experts do their work?

https://www.washington.edu/news/2012/09/10/crows-react-to-threats-in-human-like-way/

VNwalking · Aug 13, 2018

Icacos said:
Isn't it at the University of Seattle WA where all the crow experts do their work?

Well...it's where all the crows work with their researchers.
They may be smarter than we are.

John Crawford Howell · Aug 13, 2018

Be unkind to a crow and the lesson will be learned quickly...

It's the University of Washington in Seattle (where I teach) that continues to do crow research.

Icacos · Aug 13, 2018

John Crawford Howell said:
It's the University of Washington in Seattle (where I teach) that continues to do crow research.

Pardon me, I'm from the colonies.

John Crawford Howell · Aug 13, 2018

Depending on the historic time frame within which you identify (I take it you may be British), then we would have been from the colonies, too. ;-) Alas, the British (George Vancouver) and the Spanish (the Viceroy of New Spain, Don Juan Vincente de Guemes Pacheco de Padilla Horcasitees y Aguayo, Conde Revilla de Gigedo) were in our area in 1790. The crows passed down their oral heritage...

Icacos · Aug 13, 2018

John Crawford Howell said:
Depending on the historic time frame within which you identify (I take it you may be British)

More or less, but definitely a more recent colonial than you.

JillGat · Aug 13, 2018

I have two pet starlings, which are related to crows and are very intelligent. They say "Hello" when you enter the room, various other phrases, and whistle "Happy Birthday To You." Also, like crows, they love to steal shiny things. I am a mosaic artist and while I am working, one will often land on my shoulder, then wait for the opportune moment to swoop down and grab a tile out of my hand and fly away.

John Crawford Howell · Aug 13, 2018

Icacos said:
More or less, but definitely a more recent colonial than you.

Ahhh, yes, I get it. Neighbor to the near north less than 100 km from Anacortes. Unless you are in Victoria in which case from our deck we see the lights of the city reflected in the clouds, just 20 nautical miles away.

VNwalking · Aug 13, 2018

JillGat said:
I have two pet starlings, which are related to crows and are very intelligent. They say "Hello" when you enter the room, various other phrases, and whistle "Happy Birthday To You." Also, like crows, they love to steal shiny things. I am a mosaic artist and while I am working, one will often land on my shoulder, then wait for the opportune moment to swoop down and grab a tile out of my hand and fly away.

Lots of likes, Jill!
Just curious...what do they do with the shiny bauble, once they've swiped it?
Surely you've seen this story?:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
(It's not about crows rather than starlings, but starlings are super smart too. And they're great mimics...I read somewhere that Mozart's pet starling sang his music. Oh, to be a fly on that wall....):

Kanga · Aug 13, 2018

Well yes, as people have noted, crows are very smart. They can be taught. Which is the problem with asking humans to do the same job....

JillGat · Aug 13, 2018

VNwalking said:
Lots of likes, Jill!
Just curious...what do they do with the shiny bauble, once they've swiped it?
Surely you've seen this story?:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
(It's not about crows rather than starlings, but starlings are super smart too. And they're great mimics...I read somewhere that Mozart's pet starling sang his music. Oh, to be a fly on that wall....):

No, I hadn't seen that! My starlings just carry away shiny things and make me chase them to get them back. I think it's mostly a game. Yes, Mozart had a pet starling and some people thought maybe Mozart wrote pieces that mimicked the starling's song, too. My birds mimic me and also mimic all the birds in the trees outside, when I put their flight cage outside for the summer.

BeatriceKarjalainen · Aug 13, 2018

Bala said:
I see the birds are rewarded with food every time they drop a piece of trash in a bucket. Maybe pilgrims could be rewarded with a cafe con leche or a vino tinto for doing the same!

Nah, never mind. Probably wouldn't work.

In the Swedish archipelago there has been projects where you get a trashbag with you when you rent a kayak and if you return the bag with litter from the sea you get rewarded. On the camino if you turn over x number of trashbags to trash stations you get a special stamp that get you into a speed line at the pilgrims office?

VNwalking · Aug 13, 2018

BeatriceKarjalainen said:
In the Swedish archipelago there has been projects where you get a trashbag with you when you rent a kayak and if you return the bag with litter from the sea you get rewarded. On the camino if you turn over x number of trashbags to trash stations you get a special stamp that get you into a speed line at the pilgrims office?

Maybe you're partly joking, but that's not a bad idea, Beatrice!
Now, how to get that implemented?

nycwalking · Aug 15, 2018

A thought.

John Crawford Howell · Aug 18, 2018

Here, in the North Cascades, and in our local forest lands, we pick up items others may have accidentally dropped along the trail. It's very infrequent we need to do so. I believe I was fortunate on the Camino as I found it to be essentally litter free. I saw an errant napkin once that the wind picked up, and it flew over a fence where there was a big bull. That's when I discovered the limits to my "litter retrieval program." Maybe the bull had a plan...

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Peterexpatkiwi · Tuesday at 12:42 PM

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A partial solution to litter problems

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