Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!umich!vela!egrunix!awesley
From: awesley@egrunix.UUCP (Tony Wesley)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Six-pack rings (was: injured cormorant)
Message-ID: <743@egrunix.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 90 15:01:34 GMT
References: <13256@milton.u.washington.edu>
Organization: National Federation of Associations
Lines: 33

In article <13256@milton.u.washington.edu> jespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt) writes:
>One other note:  before you throw those six-pack rings from beer and sodas
>in the trash, snip them up!  It takes only a moment to do.  You don't have
        ^^^^^
>to cut it into a million little pieces -- just do one snip through each
>of the circles (including the little tiny circles in the center), so that
>any animal that gets its head through the rings will not get stuck.  This
>can be a real life-saver, literally! 
 
Kathleen, I do this too, altho I never thought about the little
circles in the center.  But, isn't this one of those things that we do
just to feel good about ourselves?  If I put the six-pack ring in the
trash, it stays in a plastic bag until it goes to the incinerator.  If
your trash is landfilled and not incinerated, your six pack ring would
be buried.  In either case, I don't see where it is harmful to
wildlife.

The real problem is with the slobs who litter.  It's the six-pack ring that 
is tossed out along the road, trail, campsite, river, beach, whatever that 
will cause the problem.  I don't see a way of educating litterers to cut
their six-pack rings before littering.  Perhaps they can be educated to stop
littering.  Until that day, I will continue to pick up litter on my walks.

In my opinion, the best solution is for manufacturers to use those
so-called "biodegradable plastics" for six-pack rings.  This is one of
the very few bona fide uses for those plastics.

>Kathleen
-- 
And little Sir John with his nut brown bowl        Tony Wesley/RPT Software
                And his brandy in the glass        voice: (313) 274-2080
And little Sir John with his nut brown bowl      awesley@unix.secs.oakland.edu
          Proved the strongest man at last...    Compu$erve: 72770,2053