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Bird Control & Waste Management: Landfills are a Disneyland for Birds

Our partner Twence processes different kinds of waste flows, from biomass to non-processable waste. Their landfill is a Disneyland for birds, thus bird control and waste management go hand-in-hand. Therefore we conducted a project with Twence to help reduce their bird nuisance. The project had two goals: to reduce their gull and corvids problems, and optimize the flight procedure of the falcon drone bird.

Importance of Bird Control in Waste Management

There are three important reasons why bird control in the waste management sector is essential:

  • Safety: doing your job can be hard when you are surrounded by hungry, raucous, and sometimes aggressive birds.
  • Damage: birds pick up waste and drop it anywhere, damaging buildings and cars.
  • Protection of birds: eating waste can be dangerous and even fatal for birds.

Because landfills provide a continuous supply of food, bird control is an ever-present challenge.  When birds feed at a landfill, they will quickly become unsusceptible to traditional methods like loud noises and flashing lights. If the birds nest on or near the landfills, chasing them becomes even more complicated.

Procedure & Results

After performing an ecological assessment, we started flying the drone bird early in the year. We chose this timing to prevent birds from nesting and raising the next generation in the same place. Thus the offspring will begin to nest elsewhere. Birds will always return to their birthplace, so preventing them from nesting is one of the keys to success.

We were able to create a Pavlov-effect by combining traditional techniques with the use of the drone bird. We often announce the arrival of the drone bird with either loud noises or a laser. After a while birds did not wait to see if the drone bird was actually coming. The implication of impending doom was enough to permanently relocate the birds.

Because we used the bird’s nature against themselves and kept tweaking the drone bird to adjust it to the circumstances, the results were amazing. The number of gulls decreased by 70% to 95%, and the number of corvids by 50% to 70%.

Bird Control and Waste Management


It is vital to understand and respect the ecological system of the surroundings. During winter, when natural food sources became scarce, the amount of birds at the landfill increased. The drone birds were still able to intimidate the birds, but they were too hungry to completely avoid the landfill. However, the few birds that did take the risk of coming to the landfill portrayed nervous behavior. Subsequently, they were easily scared away.

The most important lesson: you can only work with nature, not against it. This project was successful because we started with an extensive ecological assessment. We then mapped the birds’ behavior, and afterward adapted our strategy to the specific location and situation.

Contact Us

Do you want to know how we can help you with long term bird control? Contact us at info@thedronebird.com, or submit an inquiry, and we will happily discuss all the possibilities. We have staff located around the world who are ready to promptly answer your questions.