This Startup Teaches Crows to Pick up Cigarette Butts from City Streets

• A Dutch startup is training crows to pick up cigarette butts from city streets. The crows will be rewarded with food for every butt they deliver.
• More than 4.5 trillion cigarette butts thrown on the ground around the world each year.
• 98 % of these butts are made from plastics like cellulose acetate that take more than 10 years to break down.
• The cleanup of cigarette butts is difficult as they are dispersed across urban areas and can be moved into difficult to reach areas by wind and rain.
• But a Dutch startup has the answer to fix the problem. And the answer is crows.
• Ruben van der Vleuten and Bob Spikman, two designers have established the startup called Crowded Cities and their first product, is the Crowbar.
• According to researchers, crows have an amazing memory and communicate very effectively.