How to Reduce Animal Cruelty Created by Trash Disposal

The amount of trash we throw away has inadvertently affected the environment in many ways -- from overfilled landfills and contaminated waterways to health hazards for humans as well as animals. By making simple changes to reduce improper trash disposal, we can preserve the well-being of wildlife as well as our own living environment.

Instructions

• 1

  Crush yogurt and other plastic containers, bottles, cans and cups before trash disposal. Jars, cans and plastic cups -- such as yogurt cups, juice concentrate cans and peanut butter containers -- have openings wide enough for animals to get their heads inside as they go after the sweet remains inside. Once inside, it can become impossible for wildlife mammals to get their heads out of the container. Smaller creatures such as lizards will often crawl inside bottles or cans for warmth or protection but have difficulties getting back out of the container. The inevitable consequence is that the animals suffocate to death.

  Another approach is to cut or tear open a side of the container, put caps or lids on bottles and jars, or plug holes before disposing of them. Of course, the best option is to keep them out of the path of small animals by not littering and by recycling the containers.

• 2

  Cut up six pack holders and plastic rings. The rings and inner diamond portions of these plastic can holders create animal cruelty for wildlife as they are often found around the necks, heads or noses of birds, turtles and water mammals.

• 3

  Tie plastic bags into knots, and tear the handle loops before trash disposal. When plastic bags get caught in the wind, they often settle on wildlife habitats. Many bags end up floating in the ocean and create animal cruelty to sea turtles because they resemble a jelly fish; the turtles mistake the bags for jelly fish and eat them. Various sizes of plastic trash have also been ingested by whales, dolphins, bottom fish, manatee and birds. Plastic bags also settle on the ocean floors, suffocating coral polyps. Animals can also get tangled up in plastic bags, especially in the bag loops.

  Lower the use of plastic bags by reusing plastic bags and utilizing recyclable cloth bags for shopping.

• 4

  When you are at beaches, lakes, ponds, streams or riversides, parks or wildness areas, pick up trash, string, fishing line, plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps, six-pack rings, broken glass and other trash debris. Be sure to take out your own trash, as well. Waterfowl such as swans, geese, ducks and cranes can get their legs, wings or necks trapped in fishing lines, get a fishhook stuck in a their mouth or throat, or suffer lead poisoning by accidentally swallowing small lead fishing weights. Broken glass can cut the feet of land mammals.