Bird Nests Reveal Decades of Plastic Pollution

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AMSTERDAM — A recent study has uncovered that Eurasian coots in Amsterdam are inadvertently chronicling human plastic use through their nesting habits. Researcher Auke-Florian Hiemstra discovered nests containing plastic layers dating back 30 years, providing a unique timeline of environmental pollution.​

Traditionally, Eurasian coots build nests from plant materials that decay rapidly. However, in urban settings, these birds increasingly incorporate plastic debris, which does not decompose. This leads to the preservation of nesting materials over successive seasons, creating stratified layers that reflect historical plastic usage.

One notable nest from Amsterdam’s Rokin Canal contained deep layers with plastics from the early 1990s, including a Mars packaging promoting the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA. Upper layers featured recent items like face masks, indicative of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“You flip through these nests, like through pages of a history book, uncovering the past,” Hiemstra remarked.​

A significant portion of the identifiable waste originated from fast-food packaging, particularly from a nearby McDonald’s. Items ranged from polystyrene McChicken containers dating back to 1996 to recent sauce packets. 

“The ‘McDonald’s archaeology’ says something about our ‘throwaway culture’ and it shows that ‘away’ in throwaway doesn’t actually mean anything,” Hiemstra said.​

This phenomenon, termed ‘technostratigraphy,’ illustrates how human-made materials accumulate in natural settings.

Hiemstra noted, “History is not only written by humans; nature is keeping track as well.” 

The nesting materials have been added to the collection of the Museon-Omniversum in The Hague, contributing to the museum’s Anthropocene exhibit.​

Eurasian coots are common in urban waterways across Europe and Asia. They have adapted to city environments, often using available materials, including human debris, for nest construction. This adaptability has led to nests that serve as inadvertent records of human environmental impact.​