Humans and Landfill Seagulls: March 2013

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HUMANS and LANDFILL SEAGULLS
Article · March 2013
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A sustainable landfill seagulls management strategy-SULDOURO S.A. case study.
Ako Achere Remy

Environmental Engineering, Faculty of science and technology, Fernando Pessoa University
March 2013.
Abstract:
This observational field research report, relations the way humans and seagulls co-habitat in the
active landfill containment cells, and how it has been a challenge to most landfill managers, in the
world. Several approaches have been employed worldwide without success. A friendly approach
was taken by this urban waste managing firm. The sociability of this method has enabled,
landfilling activities in the active landfill contentment cells and the entire landfill to be hitch free.
Besides, the friendliness of this technique lingers unanswered. Future research on the health and
reproductive life of the birds will establish the degree of affability of this technique.
Who owns the landfill? For decades, man has dumped waste without treatment formalities in the
developed world, although this practice continues in the developing world. This act simply aided
in providing a ready-made source of food for a variety of landfill animals (scavengers), particularly
the gulls or seagulls migratory birds. Nowadays, urban waste has become a raw material for other
vital goods and services. These days, humans have become regular if not permanent members of
the landfill. They for now consider the conspicuous presences of the seagull birds as a storming-
block in most landfills in the world, particularly in Taboeira–Aveiro and SULDOURO landfills in
Portugal (Figure, image 1).
The seagulls are migratory birds notorious for their large population, often above thousands in
numbers, with their whitish coloured watery and highly corrosive excrement. The feces corrode
every metal utensil employed at the landfill site, including the compacting bulldozer body parts,
waste trucks, roof, cars, parts of wellheads and the biogas generator’s casing. Likewise, they spray
the glass windows of the offices, the personnel, and not forgetting the visitors, with their watery
feces. These actions of the seagulls, thus hinders landfill activities and making life and working
conditions unbearable to landfill stakeholders.
This predicament has pushed most waste companies and governments to utilise plausible solutions
like: A federal order in the state of Rhode Island in USA, permitting Rhode Island Resource
Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) to kill 500 gulls annually (Bird-X Inc, 2012): The usage of scaring
techniques such as the screamers and the “BroadBand PRO®” in particular. These methods have
given temporal satisfactory result by reducing the numbers of seagulls at the active sites of the
employed landfills (Nus, 2012).
SULDOURO, after trying similar approaches finally came up with an environmental friendly
solution, “conducive” to both occupants (humans and seagulls). Attracted by the abundant food
in the waste, a food chain solution was introduced at the site. A firm specialised in culturing eagles,
owls, and hawks, (Figure, image 2), was referred for this job. The firm stationed a trainer with the
cultured birds at the landfill site. Naturally, Owls and eagles are carnivorous animals, and as flesh
eaters, they will feed on smaller and weaker animals like the seagulls (Bird-X Inc, 2012).
Supplementary, after being taught to obey the voice of the trainer, these birds will play the role of
a “watch dog.” Having such obedient birds at hand was not enough to do away with the seagulls,
proper timing was imperative.
2
Therefore, during the early stages of this operation, the trainer’s schedule was as follows: 8am to
5pm three times a week. The seagulls became acquainted with the schedule and will invade the
active containment cell immediately the trainer leaves the working area, with his watchful owls and
eagles. The gulls then spend the day in the landfill, thereby disrupting Landfilling operations. Later,
the said urban waste management firm changed the schedule such that, the trainer spends more
time on the site. The new schedule places the trainer as a normal worker, he comes early before
work begins and retires only when work stopped at the landfill active containment cells. According
to the trainer, he could go for a break at will and absent merely during public holidays and
weekends.
The implementation and enforcement of the new schedule, forces the seagulls to become familiar
with the regular presence of the life threaten eagles on the active landfill site. This menace made
even the most courageous seagulls to fly at about 100m away from the landfill; for fear of being
eaten. Often, the seagulls wait for the trainer to retire home with his watchful owl and eagle, and
they will wait for an additional thirty minutes, observing at a close range to ensure that there is no
watching eagle. When assured, the seagulls then fly into the active site of the containment cell of
the landfill. With limited time at hand, the seagulls rapidly feast on anything they can get their
beaks on and quickly fly away before it gets dark.
This way, the workers work under a seagull-free environment while the seagull later feasts
delightedly without fear, particularly during weekends and public holidays. This environmental
friendly method has enabled, landfilling activities in the active contentment cell and the entire
landfill of this firm, to be hitch free (Figure, image 2). Notwithstanding, the friendliness of this
technique lingers unanswered. Future research on the health and reproductive life of the birds will
establish the degree of affability of this method.
Figure: Seagulls and SULDOURO landfill.
3
REFRENCES:
Bird-X (2012). Broadband PRO: Landfill. Bird-X Inc, [Online]. Accessed at <http://www.bird-
x.com/filebin/pdf/casestudies/BroadBandPRO_Landfill_Seagulls.pdf> [Consulted on
10/10/2012].
Nus, T.V. (2012). Gulls and Rings at Taboeira landfill. Aveiro-Portugal. PP. 8-12. [Online].
Accessed at <http://timvannus.blogspot.de/2012/09/gulls-rings-taboeira-landfill-aveiro.html>
[Consulted on 10/10/2012].
SULDOURO (2012). Home page. [Online]. Accessed at <http: //www.Suldouro.pt/> [Consulted

on 21/10/2012].
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HUMANS and LANDFILL SEAGULLS

Article · March 2013

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Ako Achere Remy

Figure: Seagulls and SULDOURO landfill.

SULDOURO (2012). Home page. [Online]. Accessed at <http: //www.Suldouro.pt/> [Consulted

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