The U.S. Army is considering replacing current ammunition used in training with biodegradable rounds made up in part of plant and flower seeds.
Talk about friendly fire.
To reduce the environmental impact of some of its training efforts, the U.S. Army is seeking proposals for biodegradable ammunition — rounds that could include plant and flower seeds.
“Components of current training rounds require hundreds of years or more to biodegrade,” according to a Department of Defense brief, as reported by CNN. “Some of these rounds might have the potential to corrode and pollute the soil and nearby water.”
The DoD stipulates that the new ammunition should, instead, contain seeds that produce food for animals: “This effort will make use of seeds to grow environmentally friendly plants that remove soil contaminants and consume the biodegradable components developed under this project. Animals should be able to consume the plants without any ill effects.”
