Asking people to not use fake cobwebs

[Soontobe60]

Can I ask people to consider not using fake cobwebs in their gardens as a Halloween decoration. Firstly, they are really harmful to wildlife. Birds and other flying insects get caught in them and can’t easily disentangle themselves and secondly they are made out of plastics which are non biodegradable meaning they last forever.
Stick to actual pumpkins that animals can at least eat once you’re done with them.
https://www.gardenexperiments.com/its-halloween-the-dangers-of-fake-spider-webs/?cn-reloaded=1

Yes I have told my kids we aren’t getting those this year and have explained why. There’s plenty of other decorations we can use.
Also I see them stretched over hedges which sparrows in particular like to perch in. House sparrows are already in decline.

Yes! Bumping this for you!

They're so tacky as well as bad for the environment!

I didn't even think about this. Usually put them on our porch.Thanks op.

Got plenty of real ones

Thanks for this OP.

Also if you are leaving pumpkins out for wildlife put them high up not on the ground. Squirrels will climb for them but on the ground hedgehogs can get them and they make them very ill.

Thanks for this OP, I posted similar on our local FB group but got my arse handed to me

Me too!😄

It's like that for balloon releases too sadly. To think in this day and age people just don't care about the environment.

Thanks for posting this. Agree - harmful to wildlife and hundreds of years in landfill.

Aaagh! Off to move pumpkins now!

I don’t care about ‘tacky’ - each to their own…

Not many people know this so it’s great to spread awareness.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable OP. Who are the 17% ?! Surely they have pressed YABU in error?! They are hideous and so bad for wildlife, the poor birds , mice and insects that get stuck in them ! They also look really tacky and crappy.

I don’t decorate but I didn’t know this. That poor owl 😥

Very good to share this awareness - same re. pumpkins too.

Much like the day I found out that lily pollen is highly toxic to cats... I had been gardening all day and came in to make dinner and turned the radio on and caught the end of a phone-in programme where the expert was explaining that lily pollen can cause kidney failure in cats...

So I stopped making dinner and went out into the garden and pulled up the TWENTY stargazer lily plants that I had spent the afternoon planting... halfway through one of my three cats decided to come out and complain to me that his dinner was late... listen mate, I'm doing this for you!

You need to be careful which wildlife gets to the pumpkins.

I always think this when I see them on hedges.
And they look quite crap too, that’s what I think!

Bumping

I agree and resist buying plastic Halloween decor of all kinds.

Suggest for alternatives that we can make/buy that looks impactful but isn't just more landfill? We have a big hedge outside and not much room for pumpkins.

I don't know why the government don't just immediately ban shit like this. All of these decorations that are there for Insta but that damage the environment; we've got to start turning the screw and sending a message to business world.

We don't want to buy stuff that costs our planet and so potentially, our lives.

We don't use them, but thank you for the information anyway. I never really thought about that and it does make sense

Thanks OP. The same goes for netting in the garden.

I saw your thread a few days ago, already having put cobwebs all round a small tree in front garden. This morning we found this little goldcrest trapped in it…we snipped her out and she was a bit stunned for a while before flying off. Who knows how long she was trapped in there…won’t be using them again. Thanks for raising awareness op and wish I’d just taken them down once I saw your post.