Litter, misplaced waste from human activities, is a pervasive global issue impacting ecosystems from oceans to terrestrial landscapes. It poses a significant threat to wildlife, introducing hazards that animals are not equipped to navigate. This widespread environmental challenge is directly responsible for injury, illness, and death across diverse species.
The Unseen Toll: Estimating Animal Fatalities
Quantifying animal fatalities from litter is complex for researchers. Many incidents go unrecorded due to vast ecosystems and difficulty observing deaths in the wild. However, available data provides estimates of the problem’s scale.
Annually, over 100 million marine animals die from plastic waste, with about 100,000 perishing due to entanglement. This includes over one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals killed by plastic pollution each year. Terrestrial animals are also affected; studies suggest around one million die annually from ingesting or becoming entrapped in discarded trash. In England, an estimated 2.9 million rodents and shrews die yearly after becoming trapped in abandoned containers. Discarded roadside rubbish kills approximately three million animals annually, primarily by attracting wildlife near vehicles.
Litter’s Lethal Methods: How Animals Perish
Litter causes animal deaths through several distinct and harmful mechanisms.
One common method is entanglement, where animals become trapped in discarded items like fishing lines, plastic rings, or netting. Such entrapment can lead to drowning, strangulation, or starvation if the animal cannot access food or water. Entanglement can also result in severe injuries, infections, or deformities as animals struggle to free themselves or grow with the constriction.
Another prevalent lethal method is ingestion, occurring when animals consume litter, often mistaking it for food. This can cause internal injuries, blockages in the digestive system, or a false sense of fullness that leads to starvation. Toxic chemicals present in ingested litter, such as those found in cigarette butts or other hazardous waste, can also lead to direct poisoning and long-term health issues.
Chemical exposure is another threat, as certain litter types leach toxic substances into the environment. These chemicals contaminate water and soil, poisoning animals or disrupting their physiological functions. Contamination can lead to sickness, reproductive problems, or death.
Litter also contributes to habitat degradation and alteration, which indirectly leads to animal mortality. Large accumulations of trash can render habitats uninhabitable, forcing animals to displace or limiting their access to essential resources. Litter can obstruct natural migration routes or attract animals to dangerous areas, such as roadsides, where they face increased risk of vehicle collisions. In some instances, discarded items can create breeding grounds for disease vectors, further endangering wildlife populations.
Identifying High-Risk Litter and Vulnerable Species
Certain types of litter pose a greater threat to wildlife due to their composition, persistence, and form.
Single-use plastics, including bags, bottles, and packaging, are particularly hazardous given their widespread use and slow degradation. Discarded fishing gear, often referred to as “ghost gear,” such as nets and lines, continues to entangle and kill marine animals long after being abandoned. Plastic rings from beverage multi-packs and elastic bands are notorious for trapping animals, leading to strangulation or severe injury.
Cigarette butts, though small, are among the most common types of litter found globally and contain toxic chemicals that can poison animals upon ingestion. Microplastics, tiny fragments resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items, are pervasive and can be ingested by a wide range of organisms, entering the food chain and causing internal damage or chemical exposure. Discarded containers like cans, bottles, and jars can trap smaller animals attempting to scavenge food, leading to starvation or suffocation.
Marine animals are disproportionately affected by litter, especially plastics. Seabirds, including albatrosses and petrels, frequently mistake plastic fragments for food, leading to digestive blockages and starvation. Marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and seals are highly vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear, which can cause severe injuries, suffocation, or drowning. Sea turtles, particularly loggerheads, often ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, which can fatally obstruct their digestive systems.
Terrestrial animals also face significant risks from litter. Deer and raccoons can be attracted to discarded food waste on roadsides, increasing their risk of vehicle collisions. Smaller mammals like squirrels, rodents, and shrews frequently become trapped in discarded cans and jars while foraging. Even larger animals such as elephants and camels have been found to suffer fatal intestinal blockages from ingesting plastic bags.
Preventing Animal Deaths from Litter
Addressing the issue of animal deaths from litter requires a combination of individual responsibility and broader systemic changes.
Individuals can significantly reduce the threat by consistently disposing of waste in appropriate receptacles and reducing their reliance on single-use items. Proper recycling is important, and taking extra steps like cutting plastic rings and elastic bands, rinsing and crushing cans, and putting lids back on containers before disposal can prevent animals from becoming trapped or injured.
Participating in local cleanup initiatives also directly removes hazardous litter from animal habitats.
Beyond individual actions, broader initiatives are necessary to tackle the problem at its source. This includes advocating for policy changes that reduce plastic production and improve waste management infrastructure. Public awareness campaigns play a role in educating communities about the dangers of litter and promoting responsible disposal behaviors. Implementing animal-resistant trash bins can also prevent wildlife from accessing harmful discarded materials.