Bird Litter Picking: Nicotine Objects and Health.

The background to this project is a method to teach wild birds to pick objects from the ground, which could be used for litter picking in public places in an urban environment. This method has been developed and tested, and will be tested further under the auspices of Corvid Cleaning AB in 2023.

This project takes place in connection with these tests, and a study is carried out to investigate whether there are risks for birds that pick tobacco litter. The study takes place in collaboration between Corvid Cleaning and Stockholm University.

If it can be determined that tobacco does not pose significant risks, then this solution can be used to contribute to cleaning with the help of birds that already live in human urban environments today.The birds will exchange litter for a special bird waste bin that will be placed outside the project´s framework in the urban environment by June 1.

Using a previously validated method, the crows in these locations will have the opportunity to learn how these bins work. They do so completely independently without human interaction based on the design of the bins.

Within the framework of the project is that the birds then pick litter around these locations and put them in the bins in exchange for their reward.

After they have done this for a while, samples will be taken from some of these birds, which will then be analyzed in the laboratory.

This analysis will show if levels of substances from the tobacco have increased compared to samples taken from control birds.

The publication of these results will also be part of the project.When this study is completed and tobacco can be picked without risk, bird litter picking can be introduced on the market.

It would be an additional tool in the fight against littering that has several advantages over regular litter picking and can be a suitable complement.

It can be used in places that today are difficult to clean and involves more continous cleaning than can be done manually. This project will thus contribute to Sustainability Goal 11.6 on reduced waste.

The project falls under the Smart Built Enviorment theme area Innovations and new applications and effect logic New services or products available on the market.