Last Updated on August 9, 2024 by Our Editors
It is a fact that everybody poops, but still, it can make people uncomfortable somehow. When you get a dog or any pet for that matter, you don’t think about how dog poop disposal is going to be, although it is an essential aspect of being a competent dog owner. The first step is to collect what your pet has left behind, and next, to ensure that it is correctly disposed of. You’re probably already kind enough to pick up after your dog as a conscientious dog owner, which everyone appreciates.
There are numerous methods for dog waste disposal, including traditional bagging, flushing, burying, and composting it at home. And while no method is perfect, some are more environmentally friendly than others. In this article, we’ll discuss what to do with dog poop along with methods’ pros and cons and also how to dispose of dog poop properly.
Is Dog Poop Dangerous?
A dog poop disposal system is required because if it is not cleaned up, dog poop is often washed into waterways, posing a severe problem. In reality, dog poop is responsible for a significant part of the bacteria present in municipal water systems. Worse, dog poop waste frequently stores bacteria that can make humans sick, taint the water supply, and possibly cause severe infections. Aside from water quality, the sheer volume of dog poop may wreak havoc on local air quality, as you may already be aware based on the fumes emitted by your pet’s waste. Your dog’s poop can also discharge bacteria into the air that can make people sick.
Are Plastic Bags a suitable Dog waste disposal method?
While dog poop decomposes quickly, the plastic bags you’ve been using to collect the dung do not. Many people instead of having a fixed dog poop disposal system, use their plastic grocery or vegetable bags. This offers outdated plastic bags a second life before they are in the garbage. However, these bags continue to end up in landfills, where they take a whopping 1,000 years to degrade, and even when they do, the microplastics they leave behind continue to wreak havoc on the environment. A preferable option would be to recycle the bags at a nearby Plastic Film Recycling drop-off station, which can be recycled into new plastic bags or plastic lumber.
Eco-Friendly ways for Dog Poop Disposal:
While we reuse plastic bags to collect and dispose of dog poop, most believe we are doing an excellent job of going green. The issue is that, while your area is cleaner, masses of dog poop, individually wrapped in plastic bags, are stacking up in landfills, unable to decompose and return to the earth. Fortunately, there are numerous environmentally friendly answers about what to do with dog poop for the dog waste disposal problem.
Dog Poop Trash Can:
All plastic bags are not the same. While the plastic grocery or bread bags that many of us use for dog poop disposal are not the best alternative, this is not true for all bags that we can use to make a dog poop trash can because some are more environmentally friendly than others.
Using biodegradable poop bags for dog poop disposal instead of reusing plastic supermarket bags in the trash can. Then there is no need for plastic bags. The dog poop may still be wind deposited in a landfill, but it has a better chance of decomposing. Though, there are several more sustainable ways of figuring out how exactly dog poop disposal should be done which is neither harmful for the environment, not too much of trouble for the pet owner themselves.
Flushing:
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), flushing your dog’s droppings down the toilet is the simplest and most environmentally safe way to dispose of them. Probably the easiest way of dog poop disposal as well. The Salt Lake County Engineering Division states, “the water in your toilet goes to a sewage treatment plant, which removes most pollutants before the water reaches a river or stream.”
Collecting it from the yard and flushing it is the safest and most environmentally friendly method. However, water-soluble bags composed of polyvinyl alcohol film meant to be flushed may be a better option. Your dogs’ poop is flushed down the toilet and into the city’s sewer system. It’s more environmentally friendly, and your dog poop trash can will smell better as a result. These flushable bags can be challenging to use in older homes as clogs are more prone to occur. Speak with a plumber to see if your house is up to the tasks and check with your water treatment plant to make sure they can handle the bags. Each city’s system is unique.
Composting or Burial:
Your dog’s poop can be composted but not in your regular compost container. You’ll need to build a separate dog poop disposal container of nitrogen and carbon-rich materials. As long as you do it correctly, environmentalists highly endorse this very green practice. It functions similarly to a waste digester, except you can add yard waste and use it as fertilizer but only on non-edible plants.
Compost should never be mixed with food-growing soil. You can get a dog poop disposal container and bury it in your backyard, adding more water and powdered enzymes regularly. You might also easily dig a hole and bury the dog’s excrement. This demands dedication because it entails regular digging and will result in multiple small holes in your yard.
Whether you compost or bury dog poop, keep it away from any edible gardens and, as always, make sure your dog is healthy before you do so. Four-year research on pet waste composting done by the public works department in Snohomish County outside Seattle discovered that residential compost piles did not become hot enough to destroy numerous harmful germs such as E. coli and salmonella.
Is it okay to bury dog poop in my backyard?
One can bury dog poop in the backyard, but only if there is some form of barrier between it and the outside world. Amazon sells the Doggie Dooley, an in-ground dog poop disposal system designed specifically for this purpose.
The Dooley dog poop disposal is a small septic tank that is buried in the yard. After you’ve placed and fastened the device, you can load the excrement in as it comes, frequently adding water and powdered enzymes as required. These components will aid in the breakdown of trash over time.
Worm Farming:
Worm farming is the most practical, natural, and environmentally friendly way to get rid of dog excrement, and it can be done without a yard. It could be used to dispose of organic kitchen trash. Worms consume trash, digest it, and expel the odour. Worm excrement can be utilized as a soil conditioner, and the liquid that drains from the worm farm can be used as fertilizer in your yard or garden — but not where food is grown.
If you feed the worms both pet waste and vegetable waste, you also need to provide them with a high carbon source, such as newspaper or leaves. Thus, naturally, disposing of dog waste with a worm farm also helps you go green with other types of trash.
Store the Dog waste in Water Digester Bin:
If you like the concept of composting the dog poop but don’t want to bury it in your yard, waste digester containers are available that will compost your dogs’ poop above ground, and it’s actually a great way of dog poop disposal. Waste digester bins are an environmentally friendly dog waste disposal tool that produces fertilizer that you can use in your yard. They’re simple to use and don’t need to be buried in the ground.
The digester can break down dog excrement quickly, so you won’t have to worry about unpleasant odors. It is also built of durable, recycled materials and can handle cat excrement. The trash will eventually degrade into a fertilizer-like material. Except for vegetable plants, the fertilizer it produces can be used in your yard and garden, hence providing you another way of carrying out dog poop disposal safely.
Bio Gas Harvesting:
Biogas harvesting is an excellent way to dispose of your dog’s waste, but it is only available in certain places. Everything from streets to residences is powered by biogas harvested from dog excrement. Using your dog’s poop for biogas harvesting is one of the greenest solutions available for dog poop disposal; therefore, look for harvesting facilities in your area to see if there are any.
According to studies, dog poop is usually the best option and hits much beyond its weight class. As a result, more collection sites are likely to spring up in the coming years, so keep a watch out for them and in your neighborhood. However, given the numerous benefits it offers, it is well worth doing some research to see if it is accessible in your area.
Is Dog Poop a Good Fertilizer?
If the volumes of dangerous bacteria listed above aren’t enough to convince you, let us be clear: dog poop should not be used as fertilizer. This isn’t cow manure or horse excrement, which both begin as plants and are thought to be good at recycling nutrients back into the soil. As cows and horses are herbivores, their manure is suitable for use as fertilizer. In comparison, Dogs are carnivores, making their waste unsuitable for soil enrichment. So, it’s probably better to figure out another way of dog poop disposal.
According to Poop 911, a dog’s protein-based diet frequently results in some very acidic excrement. Anyone who has strolled out onto their front yard only to find an unsuspected landmine will attest that it is unsuitable for grass. Dog excrement can turn grass dark and scorched, and the hazardous germs it contains should not be cycling through the soil.
Conclusion
Dog poop disposal is a critical component of responsible dog ownership. As dog waste disposal is a somewhat complicated subject, owners frequently have questions regarding the process, which we attempted to explain. It doesn’t matter how you collect your dog’s excrement as long as you do. Dog waste contributes significantly to the pollution of our local rivers and can make people sick thus, and it is critical to dispose of it properly. Whether you use compostable bags, flush the poop down the toilet, or use a dog poop disposal system, you will be helping to keep the city healthy and clean.
