How A Swedish Startup Is Using Wild Birds To Clean The Streets

A Swedish startup called Corvid Cleaning has created a unique way to fight litter using wild crows. The company has built a special machine that rewards crows with food when they drop cigarette butts into it. The system is based on simple learning where the crows understand that if they put litter in the machine they get a treat.

The pilot project is happening in Södertälje, a city near Stockholm, where cigarette butts make up a large part of the street litter. Christian Günther‑Hanssen, the founder of Corvid Cleaning, told The Guardian that the birds are wild and take part on their own. The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation estimates that more than 1,000,000,000 cigarette butts are discarded on Swedish streets every year, making up about 62 percent of all litter. Södertälje spends 20,000,000 SEK (about 2,100,000 USD) a year on street cleaning, and the founder believes his method could save around 75 percent of that cost — roughly 15,000,000 SEK (about 1,600,000 USD).

The cost of picking up cigarette butts by hand is high. According to The Guardian, it can cost around 0.80 SEK (≈ 0.08 USD) per cigarette butt, or in some cases up to 2 SEK (≈ 0.21 USD). If the crows do the work, the cost could drop to about 0.20 SEK (≈ 0.02 USD) per butt. Hackaday also reports that the crows get a food reward for each cigarette they deposit in the machine and the city could save money this way.

The birds involved are New Caledonian crows, which are known to be very intelligent. Some studies suggest they can solve problems as well as a seven‑year‑old child. Corvid Cleaning says it has a proven method to teach the crows how the machine works.

The project is still in a pilot stage. BirdGuides reports that Corvid Cleaning is testing which items are safe for the crows to pick up. The company is also cautious about the health of the birds because cigarette butts contain toxic materials. Some ethical critics worry that the birds could be harmed by handling litter. The startup and the city are careful to make sure the birds are safe during the project.

This project shows how innovation and the intelligence of animals can help solve environmental problems. By using crows, Corvid Cleaning is turning one of nature’s smartest birds into a helper for the city. If the pilot succeeds, the system could reduce litter, save money, and encourage other cities to think creatively about cleaning up the environment. It also raises important questions about ethics, wildlife safety, and how humans can work with nature to solve everyday problems.