PAWS Academy: Trash: Messy and Dangerous
August 10, 2020
Written by Madi Cook, PAWS Education Intern
Reduce Waste!
Where does your trash end up after you throw it away? When trash is not properly contained, wild animals can end up in dangerous situations. In this PAWS Academy episode, three ways that trash can harm wild animals are explored along with ways anyone can reduce the amount of trash they produce.
Ways Trash Endangers Wild Animals
Wild animals may ingest trash mistaking it for food. Trash like grocery bags and plastic straws can fill up landfills and clog drains and end up in places where wild animals have access to it. Plastic often ends up in the ocean and harms marine animals. Plastic can make animals very sick and cause death. In some circumstances, an animal will fill up on plastic instead of food and die from malnutrition.
Wild animals may become entangled in trash. Certain trash like plastic pack rings that hold pop cans together are more likely to entangle wild animals. Before you recycle plastic pack rings, take the time to cut each ring so that an animal is less likely to get stuck. If an animal is tied up in a fishing line or plastic pack ring it will be less mobile which will make getting away from predators and dangerous situations much more difficult. It can also make things like finding food and water near impossible. If a wild animal is left in this vulnerable condition, they will have a harder time surviving.
Wild animals may get stuck in trash like jars and bottles. These items usually do not biodegrade and remain in landfills, streets, rivers, and fields. Some small animals may crawl into bottles looking for food and water and not be able to get out. Larger animals may get their head stuck in bottles looking for food and water. Stuck like this, an animal will suffer from overheating and starvation. In this predicament, they will be less able to avoid predators and other dangers like vehicles.
If you ever find a wild animal entangled or stuck in trash do not try to help the animal yourself and instead contact a wildlife center like PAWS so that an expert can evaluate the situation and provide the best help to the animal.
How to Reduce Waste
The easiest way to reduce individual waste is through eliminating single-use plastic. Single-use plastic are plastic products that serve a single purpose and then are thrown away. Examples include plastic grocery bags, plastic baggies, plastic packaging for food, and plastic water bottles. Here are some tips on how to reduce waste in your personal life:
- Reduce the amount of single-use plastic by finding alternatives like reusable grocery bags, reusable glass containers for food storage, reusable produce bags to use at grocery stores, reusable water bottles, and reusable metal straws. If not reusable, find biodegradable substitutes instead!
- Reduce the amount of single-use plastic by avoiding using products packaged in them. Products like rice, pasta, beans, coffee, pet food and more can be found in some grocery stores in bulk where they can be put in reusable containers instead of being bought as a prepackaged item. This allows less plastic use and the freedom to buy in any quantity desired!
- If single-use plastic is unavoidable, make it not single-use! Certain plastic containers can be washed and reused to store other food or other household items. If you like gardening, you could even grow plants in them!
- In situations where single-use plastic cannot be reused or avoided it is important to recycle these so that they can be used again in the future! All items that are recycled must be clean and dry. Wash out these containers with preferably cold water, to reduce energy use, and lay them out to dry before recycling them.
While it is awesome to make these lifestyle changes yourself, you can take it one step further by sharing this knowledge with people in your life. By reducing waste, you are not only saving the wild animals directly impacted but the other wild animals that rely on them. Entire ecosystems will benefit from the decisions you make!
This Week’s Activities
Visit paws.org/PAWSAcademy and you will find two sets of activities at different difficulty levels along with a word search and coloring sheet all about trash and wild animals! Practice critical skills and continue to learn with these activities.
Continue To Learn With Us!
If you missed last week’s episode on feeding wild animals or are unaware of our pet series, you can learn more at paws.org/PAWSAcademy. Check back next Wednesday to learn more about the issues facing wildlife as we will address cats in the eighth episode of PAWS Academy wildlife series. Thank you for continuing to learn how you can make a difference in animals’ lives!
If you have any questions or suggestions you can reach us at [email protected].