Every year, wildlife mistake litter for food and die when "real food" can't get past the litter in their digestive tracts. Wildlife also suffer when they become entangled in carelessly discarded trash. Once entangled, they are rarely able to free themselves and they often attract other wildlife to the same hazard.

An excellent way to prevent entanglements is to recycle monofilament fishing line. Thanks to an idea by Florida Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program, it's easy to make a container to collect the fishing line. In North Carolina, we modified their containers by using four inch instead of six-inch PVC pipe to prevent cans and other extraneous items being put into the containers. Link here to find out how to make these recycling containers.

Legislation and enforcement are also great tools to prevent entanglements. Read on to learn about MARPOL legislation and other things you can do to prevent this problem.

Click here to see more wildlife photos.

Go to this year's cleanup results to find out about the most recent animal entanglements discovered in North Carolina.

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Our statewide headquarters is:
North Carolina Big Sweep
P.O. Box 126
Zebulon, NC 27597
Phone: (919) 366-3888
Fax: (919) 366-3889