Over on Facebook, Tricia asked, ”What do the environmentally aware do to pick up dog poo in their backyards? I’ve always used plastic grocery bags, but I feel guilty! I have three big dogs and no shortage of poo to clean up!”
I don’t have a dog, so I posed the question to dog owners. I learned some things.
Not a dog owner? You might enjoy reading about composting for the lazy person.
Several people, including Roxanne Hawn from Champion of my Heart, mentioned a dog poop composting system. There are a number of models available commercially, but it looks like they’re also easy to make. Rather than use plastic bags to pick up and transport the poop as shown in the video below, I’d use a bucket and shovel combination and I’d certainly toss in a handful of worms to help with the decomposition process. Rex elaborated, saying, “After it’s composted, feel free to add it back to non-edible plant areas.”
Sherry says that her mom uses newspaper bags, which would certainly allow the waste to break down, rather than remain trapped in plastic in a landfill.
A number of people suggested simply digging a hole and burying it – something that could work, as long as you have ground space. Helen said, “I dig a hole with a shovel, and use the shovel to pick up the poo. Place the poo in the hole and cover with dirt to stop the smell. Rinse shovel after use. The neighbor is happy because it eliminates the odor.”
And while it doesn’t necessarily address the problem of how to dispose of poop, Laura Grace Weldon of Subversive Cooking shared an idea for eliminating the problem entirely. “We used to feed our dogs high quality dog food and had lots of nasty poo to clean up. Then we switched to feeding them only REAL food: meat, bones, fat, occasional veggies. The poo from our three dogs DISAPPEARS in about 2 to 3 days (except in the most frigid winter days). Day one it turns white and crumbly, day two it falls apart, day three it’s no longer visible. Dog poo that stays intact and has to be removed is evidence they’re eating the wrong food. Give it a try for a month. It’s worth it for the dog’s health and an end to poo chores.”
Photo: Flickr user emilio labrador under Creative Commons 2.0
I’ve wondered about this for a long time. Why don’t we flush the dog doo down the toilet so it goes into a system designed to deal with excrement? Is that an environmentally friendly option? And of course we should compost it. I worry about the plastic bag throw it in the garbage. Our landfills are not designed for waste, human or canine. Parents of small children need to know this too — do NOT put the poo in the garbage. Scrape it off the diaper into the toilet.
But I have a bigger question as well — is pet ownership sustainable?
Thanks for the shoutout.
Reminds me of the body function conversation my kids insist on having too often at the dinner table! But it’s an important consideration. Thanks for including my suggestion. Not sure if anyone mentioned biodegradable bags specially made for this, Lots of people in our co-op order them, one of the brands is called Bio Bags.
My mother had beautiful roses. She swore that the dog poo which she buried between the plants was the answer. Dad cut the bottom out of a bucket with a lid. He buried the bucket up to the lid and mom would deposit the dog-doo in the bucket. When it was full, Dad simply pulled the bucket up and dug a new hole. Voila! And she did have beautiful roses!