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Your Roadside Litter Kills Animals

Throwing food waste out your car window will bring unlucky animals to the dangerous, dangerous roadside.

Josh Peterson

By Josh Peterson
Fayetteville, AR, USA | Sat Feb 14, 2009 04:00 AM ET

deer roadside photo


Paul Tessier/iStock

READ MORE ABOUT:
Animals | Cars | Fruit | Nature | Outdoors

You may think that it is all right to throw old banana peels, apple cores and other foodstuffs out of the window of your car because it's organic, it will breakdown and it fertilize the roadside plants or an animal will simply gobble it up. Well, you are right, sort of. When you throw foodstuffs out the window animals will eat it. Unfortunately, the animals will travel to the roadside to eat the food and run the risk of being hit by a car.

When an animal is hit by a car, and inevitably dies on or near the road, the carcass will attract more animals that feed upon carrion. The carrion-feeding animals can end up being turned into roadkill themselves. This fresh road kill will attract more potential roadkill. It's the roadkill circle of life, a chain reaction that can be easily nipped in the bud. Check out Sami Grover’s wonderful Treehugger article on this subject.

Don't throw your food waste out the window of your car. Your best bet is to not eat in the car. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, eating in the car causes more accidents than talking on the cell phone.

And according to Joanne Larsen of Ask the Dietician, eating in the car is a big no-no if you are trying to prevent weight gain. Get that Weight Off and Keep it Off: 15 Ways.

But if you do eat in the car, don't throw your waste out the window.

More on Animals and the Environment
Keep Your Cat Healthy Naturally
Nine New Frog Species Discovered: Why You Should Care
How to Rescue a Baby Bird
Focus on Focus Earth: The Bear Whisperer
Help Birds Survive The Winter Months
Adopt a Manatee and Help This Fascinating Creature Survive

 
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