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Valentine's Day proposal sparks backlash for litter

<p>While Valentines day is the perfect day to celebrate all kinds of love, Manly residents were left fuming in the aftermath of one couple's elaborate proposal. </p> <p>On Wednesday, residents were forced to pick up "hundreds of plastic petals", used candles and plastic wrapping discarded on Manly beach, which marine experts have branded "very intentional" littering. </p> <p>One local said that "no attempt was made to pick it up" and they were sure that hundreds of the petals would've already "blown into the sea to float around choking wildlife for the next several hundred years".</p> <p>"Candles were placed in the sand, so it seems the celebration took place there on the beach as well as above by the footpath," the resident wrote in a Facebook post. </p> <p> "Plastic petals are cheaper than the real thing, but surely whoever you’re doing this for would prefer fewer real petals to hundreds or thousands of fake ones.</p> <p>"I usually just pick things up and get on with it but this was all very intentional and I believe it doesn’t actually occur to some people to consider the impact when making decisions like this so I want to say: Think about your long term impact, make choices accordingly and feel better about them."</p> <p>Conservationists have also slammed the act, and said that the littering would likely result in the death of wildlife. </p> <p>"These photos are pretty shocking to see, especially knowing that these items were intentionally littered," vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s plastics program, Nicholas Mallos told <em>Yahoo News</em>. </p> <p>"In sufficient quantities, ingesting plastics like these can absolutely harm birds and sea creatures.</p> <p>He added flexible plastics and polyester petals can be deadly if it is consumed by smaller animals as it can block their digestive tracts causing them to starve, and disrupts their reproductive behaviours. </p> <p>"It takes only a few tiny pieces of plastic to kill a sea turtle hatchling, for example," Mallos said. </p> <p>"There’s no doubt the beach is a spectacular setting for an event, but it does require special attention to protect the surrounding ecosystem," he added.</p> <p>AMCS Plastics & Packaging Program Manager Tara Jones also agreed, and said there are "far better earth-safe alternatives." </p> <p>She said that "around 90 per cent of all seabirds alive today have ingested plastic of some kind." </p> <p>"Juvenile sea turtles, like the ones hatching now along the Queensland coasts, have been known to ingest hundreds of pieces of plastic in their short life.</p> <p>"Our ocean wildlife deserves better."</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

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Making the tobacco industry pay for cigarette litter could stop 4.5 billion butts polluting the Australian environment

<p>Cigarette butts with filters are the most commonly littered item worldwide, with a staggering <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5347528/">4.5 trillion</a> of them tossed into the environment each year. This is a huge problem; many end up on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935119300787">beaches and in the ocean</a>, and the tar from burnt tobacco in the filter can be toxic to wildlife.</p> <p>Fixing the problem has focused on changing the behaviour of people who smoke, but a <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/ArticleDocuments/353/pub-WWF-Australia-Ending-cigarette-butt-pollution-3Dec21.pdf.aspx">new report</a> shows making the tobacco industry responsible for the litter with a mandatory product stewardship scheme is likely to have a much greater impact.</p> <p>In Australia alone, it’s estimated up to 8.9 billion butts are littered each year. Under the proposed scheme, we could potentially reduce this by 4.45 billion a year.</p> <p>So how can it be done in practice? And what would the benefits be from a policy like this?</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433353/original/file-20211123-15-8zbai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433353/original/file-20211123-15-8zbai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Three wrens around a cigarette butt" /></a> <span class="caption">Smoked cigarette filters take months or even years to break down.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>Social and environmental costs</h2> <p>Cigarette filters are made of a bioplastic called cellulose acetate, and they typically take <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117393">years to break down</a>. Smoked cigarette filters are infused with the same chemicals and heavy metals in the tar that harm humans when they smoke.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/cigarette-butts-are-the-forgotten-plastic-pollution-and-they-could-be-killing-our-plants-119958">Research from 2019 found</a> adding cigarette butts to soil reduces the germination of grass and clover seeds and the length of their shoots. Seaworms exposed to used filters have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep14119">DNA damage and reduced growth</a>.</p> <p>And exposure to cigarette filters (even unsmoked ones) are toxic to fish – <a href="https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/Suppl_1/i25?utm_source=TrendMD&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=TC_TrendMD-0">research with two fish species </a> found adding two to four smoked cigarette filters per litre of water could kill them.</p> <p>Currently, the tobacco industry does not have to pay for the clean-up of cigarette butts polluting the environment. Rather, the community bears the cost. Cigarette litter and its management <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/ArticleDocuments/353/pub-WWF-Australia-Ending-cigarette-butt-pollution-3Dec21.pdf.aspx">costs</a> the Australian economy an estimated A$73 million per year.</p> <p>Local councils in particular spend large amounts of money cleaning it up. The City of Sydney, for example, has estimated their cleaning crews sweep up <a href="https://campaignbrief.com/the-city-of-sydney-launches-ci/">15,000 cigarette butts daily</a> from city streets.</p> <p>And volunteers spend countless hours picking up cigarette butts from parks, streets and beaches. In its 2020 Rubbish Report, Clean Up Australia Day found cigarette butts accounted for <a href="https://www.cleanup.org.au/cigarette-butts">16% of all recorded items</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433349/original/file-20211123-19-1qwxthm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433349/original/file-20211123-19-1qwxthm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Two smiling men hold bags of rubbish" /></a> <span class="caption">Volunteers, such as for Clean Up Australia Day, spend countless hours picking up cigarette butts from the enviornment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Glengarry Landcare VIC/Clean Up Australia</span></span></p> <h2>Current strategies are ineffective</h2> <p>The tobacco industry response to product waste has been to focus <a href="https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/2/100">responsibility on the consumer</a>. Tobacco companies have created public education campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of the butt litter problem, supplied consumers and cities worldwide with public ashtrays, and funded anti-litter groups.</p> <p>But given the amount of cigarettes that continue to be littered, it’s clear these strategies on their own have been ineffective. Many around the world are <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-explores-next-steps-to-clean-up-tobacco-litter-in-england">now calling for stronger industry regulation</a>.</p> <p>There have also been calls to ban cigarette filters completely. For example, lawmakers in <a href="https://calmatters.org/environment/2019/06/california-cigarette-butt-filter-ban-bill-electronic-disposable-vapes/">California</a> and New York have attempted to ban the sale of cigarettes with filters, and New Zealand is finalising their <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/proposals_for_a_smokefree_aotearoa_2025_action_plan-final.pdf">Smokefree Aotearoa Action Plan</a>, which may include a cigarette filter ban.</p> <p>Many jurisdictions in Australia and worldwide are starting to ban single-use plastics such as straws and takeaway containers, and have <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/367/bmj.l5890">been criticised</a> for not including cigarette filters in these laws.</p> <p>If filters were banned, cigarette butt litter would remain, but without the plastic filter. Although, <a href="https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2021/11/18/tobaccocontrol-2021-056815">a recent trial</a> of cigarettes without filters found that people smoked fewer of these than when they were given the same cigarettes with filters. More research is needed on the health impact of smoking filterless cigarettes and the environmental impact of filterless cigarette butts.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433352/original/file-20211123-27-d6ktd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433352/original/file-20211123-27-d6ktd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">A pubic cigarette butt disposal facility in Salem, US.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>What would a stewardship scheme look like?</h2> <p>The federal government’s <a href="https://www.awe.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-plastics-plan-2021.pdf">National Plastics Plan</a>, released in March this year, committed to initiate a stewardship taskforce that would reduce cigarette butt litter in Australia, and would consider a potential stewardship scheme. However, they proposed the stewardship taskforce be industry led.</p> <p>Product stewardship schemes can be voluntary or written into law. For example, waste from product packaging is managed through a voluntary scheme, the <a href="https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/plastics-and-packaging/packaging-covenant">Australian Packaging Covenant</a>, which sets targets for reducing packaging waste that aren’t written into law. On the other hand, <a href="https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/product-stewardship/products-schemes/television-computer-recycling-scheme">there is a law in Australia</a> requiring companies who manufacture TVs or computers to pay some of the costs for recycling these products.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/ArticleDocuments/353/pub-WWF-Australia-Ending-cigarette-butt-pollution-3Dec21.pdf.aspx">new research</a>, commissioned by World Wildlife Fund for Nature Australia, considered four regulatory approaches: business as usual, a ban on plastic filters, a voluntary industry product stewardship scheme, and a mandatory product stewardship scheme led by the federal government.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433344/original/file-20211123-13-tpimfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C16%2C5442%2C3600&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433344/original/file-20211123-13-tpimfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C16%2C5442%2C3600&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A hand in blue plastic gloves holds a cigarette butt on the beach" /></a> <span class="caption">Cigarette litter costs the Australian economy an estimated A$73 million each year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brian Yurasits/Unsplash</span>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license">CC BY</a></span></p> <p>Each of these options were ranked according to factors such as the regulatory effort required to implement them, their cost, consumer participation and the extent to which they would reduce environmental impacts on land and waterways.</p> <p>A ban on plastic cigarette filters and a mandatory product stewardship scheme were assessed as having the greatest potential environmental benefit. While uncertainties remain about a filter ban, there is no such barrier to implementing a mandatory product stewardship scheme on cigarette waste.</p> <p>This scheme could involve a tax that would pay for the recovery and processing costs associated with cigarette butt litter. The study suggested introducing a levy of A$0.004 – less than half a cent – on each smoked cigarette to manage the waste. Other studies from overseas, however, show this cost would need to be <a href="https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/Suppl_1/i36.full">higher</a>.</p> <p>We can look to the UK for an example of where to start. The UK is currently considering implementing an extended producer responsibility scheme to address cigarette litter. In November this year, it released a <a href="https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/call-for-evidence-on-commonly-littered-and-problem/supporting_documents/Call%20for%20evidence%20document.pdf">consultation document</a> on different options.</p> <p>They proposed a mandatory scheme where the tobacco industry would pay for the full costs of cleaning up and processing cigarette waste. Other costs they might be made to pay are for gathering and reporting data on tobacco product waste, provision of bins for cigarette butts, and campaigns to promote responsible disposal by consumers.</p> <p>It is time for the federal and state governments in Australia to make the tobacco industry pay for the mess they create.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171831/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kylie-morphett-1271253">Kylie Morphett</a>, Research Fellow, School of Public Health, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/coral-gartner-7425">Coral Gartner</a>, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/william-clarke-380521">William Clarke</a>, Professor of waste management, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/making-the-tobacco-industry-pay-for-cigarette-litter-could-stop-4-5-billion-butts-polluting-the-australian-environment-171831">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shuttershock</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Meet the British man making art out of discarded face masks

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A British man is making the most out of the pandemic by making unique art in his backyard. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nottingham native Thomas Yates, 45, was made redundant from a brewery at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After working there for five years, he found himself with an abundance of extra time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tom decided to take to the streets and use his working hours to clean the streets of discarded litter. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On his travels in his local area, he noticed he was collecting a lot of abandoned face masks and decided to make art out of them in his own backyard. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After he creates his artworks, he collects all of the rubbish and sends it off to be properly recycled. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His images of unusual art have attracted hundreds of followers on social media, as his artworks only continue to grow. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I have questioned myself. Why am I making art out of litter? And then when you see the end results, I think they're quite good," he said to the BBC.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A spokesperson for his local council area applauded his efforts of cleaning the streets. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The council spokesperson said, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We would like to thank Thomas for his excellent work and all the many volunteers who already litter pick in their local communities regularly and help keep our streets, parks and open spaces even tidier."</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Instagram @averagegradient</span></em></p>

Art

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Driver cops $1,320 fine for littering

<p><span>A Sydney man has admitted to being a “boofhead” after police caught him throwing a lit cigarette out his car’s window near bushfires during a total fire ban.</span></p> <p><span>Campbelltown Highway Patrol spotted the 51-year-old man from Miller discarding the cigarette from his vehicle in Rosemeadow on Saturday morning.</span></p> <p><span>“The location is only about 20kms from where fires are burning in Wollondilly,” the police said in a statement on Facebook. </span></p> <p><span>“When asked why he had done it, the male told police ‘I’m a boofhead’.”</span></p> <p><span>The man was issued with an infringement notice and penalised with a fine of $1,320.</span></p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTrafficServicesNSWPF%2Fphotos%2Fa.627879350610382%2F2781121471952815%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="586" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p><span>As of Sunday morning, there were 96 bush and grass fires in NSW – 47 of which were not contained.</span></p> <p><span>The “mega fire” at Gospers Mountain near Sydney’s northwestern outskirts is expected to continue burning until substantial rain arrives at the end of January or early February, <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/07/australia-fires-blazes-too-big-to-put-out-as-140-bushfires-rage-in-nsw-and-queensland">The Guardian</a> </em>reported. </span></p> <p><span>“The total area burnt by these fires is around 335,000 hectares,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said in a statement on Friday evening.</span></p> <p><span>“These will take many weeks to put out – and only when we get good rain.”</span></p> <p><span>The ongoing bushfires in NSW and Queensland have burned areas covering at least <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/datablog/ng-interactive/2019/dec/07/how-big-are-the-fires-burning-on-the-east-coast-of-australia-interactive-map" target="_blank">2.2 million hectares</a>, killed six people and destroyed more than 680 homes.</span></p> <p><em><span>Image credit: Traffic and Highway Patrol Command - NSW Police Force</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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NSW breeder sets new world record with 19 Dalmatian puppies born in one litter

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A NSW dalmatian breeder has set a new world record with 19 puppies being born in one litter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melissa O’Brien was relieved that all 19 puppies survived.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She told </span><a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6297245/dalmatian-litter-breaks-world-record/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Canberra Times</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the ordeal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Records aside it is pretty incredible all of them are alive, we had to supplement and bottle feed a few for a while to help mum out," she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"But they are six weeks old now and getting their own little personalities."</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">An Albury breeder has broken the world record for the largest Dalmatian litter - 19 puppies! 🐶🐶🐶🐶 <a href="https://twitter.com/bordermail?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bordermail</a> <a href="https://t.co/V9t4DhcJEW">pic.twitter.com/V9t4DhcJEW</a></p> — Vivienne Jones (@_VivienneJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/_VivienneJones/status/1155325046547595264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">28 July 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">O’Brien said that despite her dalmatians normally breeding big litters, this was by far the largest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I normally have big litters, they run in bloodlines, but this is easily the biggest," Ms O'Brien said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"They were born by C-section which I had already elected simply because of the amount of weight she had put on - she gained 15 kilograms.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Her water broke and we had to pretty much take her straight in because if we had waited a few more hours we would have had dead puppies."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the amount of puppies, you’d forgive O’Brien for getting them mixed up sometimes, but she says she can almost tell them all apart. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"They are all named after Disney movies and they all have distinctive marks and colourings so we do keep track of them," she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Livers, or the brown coloured puppies, seem to be harder to sell because everyone sees the movie and wants a black and white one but I prefer the liver ones as I find them softer in nature.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I have had Dalmatians for about 13 years but have been breeding and showing them for just about 10 years."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABC Goulburn Murray reported about the incident via their Facebook page.</span></p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FABCGoulburnMurray%2Fposts%2F2368044573230758&amp;width=500" width="500" height="738" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There were reportedly eight people there to help the vet deliver the puppies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, O’Brien says that this is the last of the litters for both mum and dad.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Melody is three and a half and Lukas is seven so this will be both their last litters," she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It is definitely the first and last for Melody, I had already decided to get her desexed before she had the puppies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The temperaments are bomb-proof. They have to deal with my two-year-old so they are very used to small children and human interaction.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I am going to keep one boy but I haven't decided on which one yet."</span></p>

Family & Pets

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Hilarious Aussie sign shaming litterbugs goes viral

<p>Granville Harbour Community Coast Care in Tasmania has taken the internet by storm after sharing its hilarious new sign that was put up within the area, in an effort to reduce the number of people dumping their rubbish on the ground.</p> <p>The sign poses the question “Why are you littering?” and provides hilarious multiple-choice options that allude to the characteristics of someone who leaves their rubbish behind.</p> <p>The tongue-in-cheek options suggest the person dumping their rubbish is a “jerk”, highlights their disrespect for “natural areas” and suggests their “mummy still cleans up” for them – as well as an “all of the above option”.</p> <p><img style="width: 374.585px; height: 500px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822475/1-anti-litter-embed.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/327e950e9773473ab17b8081f84eeb3d" /></p> <p>The sign has started hilarious discussions on social media form Reddit with various viewers providing their input into the growing rubbish-dumping epidemic.</p> <p>“We need to change cultural attitudes regarding littering, Japan doesn't have a littering problem,” one commenter suggested. “We also need to stop the crap being produced in the first place or make biodegradable packaging mandatory.”</p> <p>Many social media users shared their own personal experiences and disgust with coming across litter within a natural public space.</p> <p>A user shared, “I was sitting at a popular chair yesterday in front of a water view. I picked up 216 cigarette butts. Went back today to find another 8 new ones. A sign like this is needed.”</p> <p>Many people praised the sign and the eye-catching, funny way it has been presented to encourage people to take a second to think about their environmentally harmful actions.</p> <p>“Awesome sign,” one person wrote.</p> <p>While another exclaimed, “WOW these signs should be rolled out across the country.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts on this Tasmanian anti-litter sign? Let us know in the comments.</p>

Domestic Travel

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Review: Poopy Cat’s new disposable, biodegradable litter box

<p>Before I start this review, I have a confession to make: I haven’t been a cat lover all my life. In fact, I was once decidedly not an animal person, but then two cats came into my life, and they’ve made a home in my heart ever since.</p> <p>It’s been three years and I am now wholeheartedly a (crazy) cat person. I want the very best for my pets and more importantly, I want them to be happy. Once seemingly ludicrous ideas – taking my indoor cat for a walk on a leash because it wanted to go outside (we didn’t walk much, but he enjoyed exploring the area) or genuinely trying to reassure my cat out loud that it’s okay he vomited on the floor (yet again) because it looked contrite – are all the norm now.</p> <p>So when I was asked to review Poopy Cat – an environmentally friendly, biodegradable kitty litter – I was on board. Clean as cats are, I still find scooping cat poop and urine to be my least favourite task as a cat-owner. And don’t get me started on washing out the litter tray… it must be done of course, but if there’s a litter box out there that makes my cat happy, and makes my life easier, sign me up.</p> <p>Poopy Cat is the world’s first disposable, fully biodegradable cat litter tray. It comes as a flat box, with litter in it, which easily pops open to form a private cardboard portaloo for your cat. The box is decorated in different colours and images – including an Australian themed one, which is quite fun. I was a bit sceptical about the durability of the box, but it held up to the cats’ inquisitiveness and the weather when I placed it outside on the balcony.</p> <p><img width="500" height="250" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/23351/img_1982_500x250.jpg" alt="IMG_1982" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>But the real test, of course, is whether the cats would use the new litter box. Cats being cats were intrigued by the new box in their kingdom (i.e. my apartment), immediately inspecting it, giving it a few tentative wacks with their paws, and rubbing their faces all over it to claim it as their own. But after a few days this hadn’t translated into using the new little box yet.</p> <p>It may have had something to do with the wooden pellet litter (made from waste from the wood industry) which is quite different to your standard kitty litter. My cats were not impressed with it, but a tip on the box recommending mixing their old litter to the new, to gradually introduce them to the new litter, did the trick. Litter scoops made out of cardboard are also provided to pick up the waste – all of which is biodegradable.</p> <p>So after an initial teething period, the cats embraced their new toilet with gusto. Best of all, after a week of use there was no need to change the litter or clean the box. I folded the box down and disposed of it all as green waste. Easy peasey! It was quick, no fuss, and simple. Then I assembled the next box and voila, a brand new clean litter box for the cats to use!</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Verdict</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">:</span></strong> For cat-owners looking for an eco-friendly litter box, Poopy Cat is a great option. The box and litter are made from recycled materials and is fully biodegradable. It’s also great for owners seeking a quick and convenient litter box alternative, as there’s no need to worry about replacing litter or cleaning out the litter box. You simply dispose of the litter box as biodegradable waste and continue with the next one. I’d recommend it for people needing a litter box while travelling with their cat, those needing multiple litter boxes around the home, or people who don’t like handling litter boxes.</p> <p>The Poopy Cat Litter Box can be purchased online in a single order for $12.95 or in a pack of four for $39.95. You can also find further information on the litter boxes on <a href="https://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/49327" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>here</strong></span></a>. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/03/top-10-favourite-cat-sleeping-positions/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Top 10 favourite cat sleeping positions</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/03/cutest-pet-criminal-duos/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">10 of the cutest pet criminal duos</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/gallery-of-very-important-cat-jobs/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">12 very important cat jobs</span></strong></em></a></p>

Family & Pets

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Meet the world’s first litter of IVF puppies

<p>The first litter of puppies to be born via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has arrived, and they’re very cute.</p> <p>The breakthrough was made thanks to researchers at Cornell University. Alex Travis, associate professor of reproductive biology at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine said, “Since the mid-1970s, people have been trying to do this in a dog and have been unsuccessful.”</p> <p>IVF involves fertilising a mature egg with a sperm in lab. Once they produce an embryo, this embryo gets transferred to a “host” female. The host for this study gave birth to seven healthy puppies.</p> <p>Scientists have been trying to perform canine IVF for years without much success, which has been partly put down to the differences between the reproductive systems of humans and dogs.</p> <p>Perhaps what’s most exciting about this development is the implications it has for conservation.</p> <p>Dr Margaret Casal of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine told CBS, “The reason for doing things like this is that it will lead to the preservation of species that are almost lost.”</p> <p>To view all the puppies, scroll through the above gallery. </p> <p><em>Image credit: Cornell University </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/12/dangers-to-pets-at-christmas/">Keep your pet safe this Christmas</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/12/bear-cub-wants-a-fight/">Watch an adorable grizzly cub beckoning for a fight</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2015/12/16-adorably-fluffy-cats/"><strong>15 adorably fluffy cats to brighten your day</strong></a></em></span></p>

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Litterer gets rubbish returned to his front lawn

<p class="xmsonormal">A Northern Territory man decided to dump his rubbish at Rosebery bushland. That was his first mistake.</p> <p class="xmsonormal">The man also didn’t think to remove any belongings with his name and address on them. That was his second.</p> <p class="xmsonormal">Litter vigilante Frederick Tomlinson heard of the mass amounts of garbage being dumped in the bush and decided to clean it up.</p> <p class="xmsonormal">In finding several pieces of aligning identification, Tomlinson decided to return the heap to its original owner, “I was going to say ‘hey mate, you’re going to get a fine because there’s so much stuff to identify you in here, why don’t you take the stuff from me and take it to the dump’,” Tomlinson explained.</p> <p class="xmsonormal">“My idea was to let him clean it up himself and avoid a fine while letting him know people don’t want that kind of behaviour.”</p> <p>Tomlinson says he was later contacted by the alleged perpetrator’s neighbour who claimed the man in question had recently done a clean out, but had not since moved out.</p> <p>And so Tomlinson left the debris to its rightful owner, leaving it behind on the man’s lawn.</p> <p>If you’re going to be ignorant enough to dump mass amounts of garbage, at least be smart enough not to leave a trail.</p> <p><em>Photo Source: Supplied</em></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2015/07/heart-disease-and-diabetes-danger/"><strong>Heart disease plus diabetes can knock more than 10 years off your life</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2015/07/peanut-turtle-litter/"><strong>Turtle lives 20 years after being cut free from a six-pack ring</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2015/07/baby-elephant-falls-in-well/"><strong>Mother elephant spends 11 hours trying to free baby from well</strong></a></em></span></p>

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Why litter is harmful to our dogs

<p>We already know that littering has a detrimental effect on our environment, but we might not be aware of a less obvious risk involved: littering can be harmful to our dogs. This is a fact that dog owner, Geneve Smith learned for herself, when her small dog became sick after ingesting litter off the streets in Turramurra, New South Wales. </p> <p>“We were walking down the footpath when she dived and grabbed something. I didn’t see what it was but tried to pull her away.”</p> <p>Shortly after, her dog became ill and stopped eating. Upon visiting a vet, it was found that the animal had ingested a corn cob which was now blocking her stomach.</p> <p>Though surgery was not required, this might not have been so had it happened to a larger dog, within which the corn cob could have travelled further and caused more damage.</p> <p>“It was fortunate because she’s a small dog and it hadn’t gone any further than the stomach. If it gets into the small intestine, it’s surgery,” Smith said.</p> <p>According to Keep Australia Beautiful, a shocking 780 pieces of glass, metal and other harmful materials were found per 1000 square metres of dog walking areas throughout Australia.</p> <p>Dr. Justin Wimpole , author of First Aid For Dogs, had this to say on the matter:</p> <p>“We see it all — deep cuts from broken glass, rusty fishing hooks and line caught in the back of the throat, and severe damage caused by things like the skewer from a chicken satay stick. The sad thing is that it’s completely avoidable.”</p> <p>So if you needed one more reason to keep Australia clean - do it for our pets.</p> <p><em>Image source: North Shore Times</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/swimming-pool-red-eyes/">The disturbing reason your eyes get red in swimming pools</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/jury-duty-excuses/">“I need to look after my cat” and other hilarious jury duty excuses</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/crow-bald-eagle-photos/">Crow rides the back of an eagle in these bizarre photos</a></strong></em></span></p>

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