Bag it and bin it
Most dog owners collect their dog waste in plastic bags then dispose of it in the nearest bin. This is great – it gets it off the street. But what happens to the waste once it leaves the bin?
Well, some of the bags end up buried in a landfill site where they and their contents will remain for many years – plastic bags can take hundreds of years to degrade. Increasingly, municipal waste is being incinerated in waste-to-energy plants, which is more eco-friendly than landfill but still controversial.
If the dog waste is going into a household bin this can cause a problem, as it will start to ferment in the plastic bag. Many councils now only collect refuse bins on alternate weeks, so the dog poop could potentially be sitting festering in the bin for up to two weeks.
Hopefully in time there will be more schemes using small scale anaerobic digesters to produce energy from organic wastes, like the dog-poop-powered street lamp in this article which will run for 2 hours on 10 bags of dog waste.
But in the meantime most of us just have to bag and bin our dogs poop. So, which bags should we be using?
Its a confusing mix of degradable, biodegradable, corn starch, oxo-biodegradable, exo-biodegradable – the list goes on…… and theres no such thing as an eco-friendly bag of dog poop, no matter what the bags made of!
There is no definitive answer. Amongst other things, it depends where its going to end up. Your local authoritys web site should tell you if they are using landfill or incineration.
If your knotted bag of poop is going to landfill, it needs to be in an oxo-biodegradable bag with no added corn starch or other plant materials. Oxo-biodegradable plastic fragments then biodegrades to CO2 and water in landfill while there is oxygen present, then becomes inert when conditions are anaerobic (more detailed info here). For example, see *Pogis Poop Bags.
Bags containing corn starch or other biodegradable plant based materials continue to break down in anaerobic conditions in landfill, producing methane which is much more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
If its going for incineration, theres more of a choice. You could re-use any plastic bags – bread bags, frozen food bags, carrier bags – at least you know if youve filled them with poop and sent them off for incineration, they arent going to end up as litter or in the ocean!
Alternatively, we need to support the companies who are trying to do right by the planet, so this is a good time to cut the plastic and use those plant based eco-friendly bags. Read the box though – a lot of them arent as planet friendly as they make out. Check if they tell you which environmental standards they comply with. They should at least say they are certified to EN 13432 (EU) and/or ASTM D6400 (USA). For example, see *TSP Premium Poop Bags, Pet N Pet, and *My AlphaPet.
When you dispose of dog or cat waste at home in the UK, most Local Councils say it should go in the bin with your general household waste. Some ask for poop to be double wrapped to protect their workers and also to prevent smells. They suggest picking up the poop in plastic bags and collecting it all in a small bin lined with a larger bag such as a supermarket carrier bag.
You can now get flushable bags, so dog mess can simply be put down the toilet and flushed away off to the sewage plant to be treated.
These are made of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), a water-soluble alternative to regular plastic. The manufacturers say the bags break down quickly and harmlessly in the water. PVA does dissolve over time in water and is then broken down by bacteria into carbon dioxide and water. The bags are also certified as compostable, but only in industrial composting facilities that accept pet waste.
The US Environmental Protection Agency say on their website:
“Pet waste can be a major source of bacteria and excess nutrients in local waters. . . Flushing pet waste is the best disposal method. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local water bodies.”
If you intend to flush dog poop on a regular basis its worth checking with the water authority in your area as not all sewage treatment works are the same.
Never flush cat waste as this may carry toxoplasma gondii, a parasite which is not removed by sewage treatment and is thought to be infecting river and marine mammals including sea otters, beluga whales and monk seals (more info).
Provided your water authority can treat the waste, flushing is a good way to dispose of dog waste quickly and hygienically, so its not sitting in the bin for days or weeks festering in the bag. The bags are also quite handy for indoor accidents if you have a puppy.
Available from Amazon UK *here
You can put small amounts of dog poop into your compost bin – its not advisable if youve got either a small bin or a large dog!
Its best not to use any bags if possible. Most biodegradable bags arent compostable or can only be composted at industrial composting facilities. If you do use bags check they specifically say they are suitable for home composting.
Currently there are two certification bodies which offer specific “home compostability” certification programmes: Din Certco and Vinçotte. Look for the logos and check they say Home composting
are all certified for composting at home.
When composting pet waste you need to be very strict about hygiene. The composting bin must be layered correctly and filled regularly to keep the temperature high – vital to kill the pathogens in dog waste.
Never use compost containing dog waste on or near food crops. If you are composting your dogs waste be sure to use a worming treatment regularly to reduce the risk of infection.
Insulated hot composters such as the *Hotbin, which are made to work at high temperatures, can be used for composting pet waste. Small amounts of pet waste can also be added into a Green Cone. See more about the Hotbin and Green Cone in our post on Food Waste Digesters.
Pet poop wormeries are basically exactly the same as normal wormeries used for kitchen waste and work in exactly the same way. You dont need to buy a special pet poo wormery.
The worms must be fed exclusively on pet waste as they wont tolerate a mixed diet, though you will need to mix about half and half with shredded paper and torn up corrugated cardboard to keep the waste aerated and stop it from compacting.
Dont use a wormery just after your dog has been treated for worms or you might kill all your little composters! Again, the compost and liquid fertiliser produced should not be used on or near food crops.
In the UK, Wormcity produce a range of stacking wormeries suitable for composting pet poo. These are kept in a shed or garage, so the worms remain active all year round. See them on Amazon UK *here.
See our posts on Worm Composting for lots more information.
Dog waste can be treated alone or added to food scraps in a bokashi system. This is a simple 2-stage process which firstly ferments the waste. The treated waste is then buried in the ground or added to a compost bin, where it breaks down very quickly.
See our posts on Bokashi composting for much more detailed information on using this system. Bokashi bins are available from Amazon UK *here
Dog loos are generally sunk into the ground in a large hole with stones or gravel beneath to ensure good drainage. Water and a bio-activator, such as *Doggie Dooley Waste Terminator are added weekly to help break down the waste naturally.
Provided they are installed and maintained properly these can be OK for one or two small dogs. A popular choice is the *Doggie Dooley. For more information on installing and using the Doggie Dooley system, see their website here.
If you are going to be digging a large hole, you might want to think about using a DIY system instead, as described below. You wont get a fancy lid, but it will be cheaper and less trouble to install, and will use less water. It might work better too, using natural bacteria and soil creatures to break down the waste.
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Burning your dog’s waste may be regarded as a statutory nuisance due to odour and toxicity and should be avoided. Smoke is an air pollutant, so from an environmental perspective one of the greener methods, such as composting, is a far better and healthier solution to disposing of your dog’s poop responsibly.
Poop and toilets go hand-in-hand, right? With dogs, it’s not that simple. We do not recommend flushing poop bags down the loo. A number of water companies have come out and advised people against flushing dog waste down their toilet. If you’re unsure, bins, compost or worm farms are a great alternative.
Composting is a great way to dispose of your dog’s poop, as long as you get it right. Once you’ve picked up after your dog and bagged it up, you can dispose of it at home, or at an industrial composting facility; make sure you check the facility accepts animal waste, beforehand. At home, you can get rid of your dog’s poop by creating your own compost pile. Organic waste needs the right level of oxygen, heat and water to fully decompose, so it’s important you keep your compost pile warm and moist. Sawdust is also a great addition to combat the high levels of nitrogen contained in our pups’ poop. When you reach the perfect balance of warmth and moisture, all the nasty pathogens are eventually killed off. Your compost is then ready to use on non-edible plants. If you want to find out more about compostable poop bags, take a look at our blog: Can you compost dog poop?
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Dog poop can contain dangerous pathogens, including Giardia, Salmonella, E. coli, Ancylostoma, Cryptosporidium, and Toxocara canis. These pathogens can leach into the soil and end up contaminating ponds, streams, lakes, and other water sources, as well as gardens that grow fruits and vegetables for human consumption. Even burying dog poop in your own yard is not a great idea; certain contagious parasites and bacteria can remain in the soil for months or even years, potentially infecting your pets or even your human family.
Biodegradable poop bags are meant to be used for composting. Contrary to popular belief, biodegradable poop bags won’t break down in a landfill environment. This is because biodegradable bags need oxygen in order to break down. A biodegradable bag in a landfill will remain intact just like a plastic bag will. However, even if you throw biodegradable poop bags or compostable bags in the trash, they are still a greener option than using petroleum-based plastic bags because bags that are meant to break down are made from plant materials.
When disposing of dog waste, possibly the best option for the environment is composting, which is a special way of containing the poop and helping it to break down so that harmful pathogens are destroyed. Composted dog poop can be used like fertilizer when added to the soil in your garden with one caveat—it should only be used for ornamental gardens, never for food gardens that produce fruits and vegetables. It is important to compost correctly using the proper equipment and supplies, and to maintain it appropriately.
The simplest way to dispose of your dog’s poop is picking it up with a bag and throwing it away in the trash. Sending poop to the landfill might seem like it’s bad for the environment, but this is actually a pretty great option when you balance convenience with the need to protect soil and water from contamination. This is why it’s a good idea to always have a supply of poop bags with you when walking your dog. Remember, never leave your filled, knotted bags on the sidewalk; you cant expect others to pick them up for you. Always take your dog’s poop with you to dispose of at home, or deposit the bag in a trash receptacle.
Picking up your dog’s poop is not fun, but cleaning up after your dog is a necessary part of being a responsible pet owner. If you’ve ever wondered about the best ways to dispose dog poop, you’re not alone. Take a look at the most common options for disposing your dog’s poop to find out which ones are the best for both you and the environment.