Snow/ice on roads

“Animals are suffering”: NGO calls for people to stop spreading salt

Animal rights activists are calling on people to avoid salt out of consideration for our four-legged friends. Safety is important when there is particularly dangerous black ice, for example, but there are alternatives such as grit.(Bild: Greenpeace/Mitja Kobal)

Although snow is expected as far as Vienna on Wednesday, Greenpeace is calling on people to refrain from spreading salt. There is another way.

According to the environmentalists' calculations, 350,000 tons of salt end up on snow-covered or icy surfaces every winter. 

"Despite the known dangers, too much salt is still being spread in Austria. Plants and animals suffer massively from this high use," criticizes Greenpeace activist Adam Pawloff.

His concerns: "Salt degrades the soil and reduces its oxygen content. Fruit trees in particular, but also avenue trees such as lime trees or horse chestnuts, react very sensitively and die." In water, it can also lead to a loss of biodiversity even at low concentrations.

Salt degrades the soil and reduces its oxygen content.

Greenpeace-Aktivist Adam Pawloff

Negative effects on animal paws
Vet Astrid Nagl is concerned about the effects of "the litter rage" on the delicate paws of dogs and cats. "The pads become dry, cracked and painful," explains the vet.

Without road salt: some municipalities show the way
Some municipalities in Austria, such as Attersee (Upper Austria) and St. Andrä-Wördern (Lower Austria), are already showing that it is possible to do without road salt as far as possible. In cities such as Graz and Wels, there are already bans or severe restrictions.

In eastern Austria, it is now getting wintry with up to ten centimetres of fresh snow.