Is waste a natural part of the ecosystem? It says there is no waste in nature. Plants grow in soil, animals eat plants, dung replenishes soil. The sense of "garbage" does not exist in nature.
There are some interesting examples of this cyclical system.
Dead wood-eating beetles are considered the insect world's best decomposers. Along with lichens, mushrooms, sow bugs and earthworms, these insects spend their time turning dead plants and animals back into usable nutrients.
Birds are considered nature's greatest recyclers. The Bowerbird from New Guinea and Australia constructs elaborate "bowers" consisting of colourful human trash.
Hermit crabs salvage shells abandoned by other sea life, usually from sea snails. They've used glass bottles and cans. If you have a pet hermit crab, you can get artificial shells for them.
Orb-web spiers decorate their webs with debris such as leaves and twigs. They often make a new web each day.
And dung beetles live to collect and repurpose poop. They build their homes out of feces, they eat feces, and lay their eggs in it. They roll excrement into balls and offer it to a female. Then they happily roll it away together... into the sunset.
The Octopus builds shelters out of discarded debris - from cracked coconut shells, to sea shells, glass jars, and other containers.
And what is special about monarch butterflies? Monarch caterpillars eat their old homes once they've exited.
Here's our latest Monarch Wreath - it has already gone to a new home.
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