A recycled hairstyling mannequin head has been called upon to keep crows away from a garbage collection point in Ube, Japan.

At the end of last year when disposing of the head (now lovingly dubbed "Wig-kun" by the area residents), a local hairdresser had the bright idea to recycle the head for use as a scarecrow.

"The head was frightening enough to make a 4 year old cry, so I thought it might work to keep the crows away," says the recycle-conscious 63 year old hairdresser.

The results were immediate. Now there is no sign of the crows, which even the protective nets could not prevent from getting into the trash. "It's as if they were never here."

[Source: Ube Nippo]