http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dealing-with-dog-waste.html
Dealing with Dog Waste
Of course all animals make waste, but most of them do so in an ecosystem that knows what to do with it. Dogs and city streets? Not so much. In my town, the routine usually involves a plastic shopping bag repurposed for poop disposal and tossed in a trashcan. I imagine a weighted shopping bag is preferable to an empty one that gets scooped up by the wind and ends up in a tree or the ocean–but the thought of mountains of poop-filled eternally-plastic shopping bags in the landfill makes me exceedingly squeamish.
And I suppose suburban and rural dog guardians have their host of disposal dilemmas as well, which brings me to Flush Puppies. Flush Puppies are dog poop disposal bags that are, as the name suggests, flushable. They are made of PVA film, a water-soluble material that completely dissolves in about 45 minutes. Flush Puppies can be disposed of in any standard toilet, saving them from ever hitting the landfill–once flushed, the waste goes through your local sewage treatment plant which removes harmful toxins from fecal matter.
According to the Flush Puppies site, here are some facts to consider about abandoning pet waste (if you’re eating right now, you may want to finish your food before reading this):
• If left on the ground, dog poop can infect surface water and groundwater.
• Dog poop contains parasites such as hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms.
• Parasites found in dog poop present an even greater risk to children.
• Parasite eggs can live in the ground for years.
• Cities across the country, including New York and San Francisco, have enacted pooper-scooper fines.
Throwing dog poop in the trash is not an ideal solution, here are statistics regarding the impact of animal fecal matter on the landfill:
• The average person in the U.S. generates about 4 pounds of solid trash per day.
• At that rate, the United States generates 210 million tons of trash per year.
• There are an estimated 44.8 million dogs in the United States.
• In a city of 100,000 people or 43 square miles, dogs can generate about 2 1/2 tons of feces per day. That’s almost 2 million pounds a year.
• A plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in the landfill.
The bags come 15 to a packet, which is the size and shape of a pocket pack of tissues. The cheapest option is to enroll in the Flush Puppies subscription which they ship you four packs per month (60 bags) for 14.99 including shipping.
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65 comments
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I have a novel solution that worked with my kitty litter. I have a large tract of woods behind my home and was having a problem with teenagers hanging out there. They were littering the place with beer bottles and lots of trash, building bonfires and smoking. I hated the garbage and, in dry weather Ifeared they would burn the woods down. I bought corn-based kitty litter and started dumping the used smelly kitty litter in the clearing where they used to hang out. Solved 2 problems! lol
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thanksss...
Kabin
Konteyner
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I pick up dog poop after my yorkie. It's faily easy with a flushable dog pop bags that I use everyday. Google "flushable dog poop bags" and check out yourself.
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I pick up dog poop after my yorkie. It's faily easy with a flushable dog pop bags that I use everyday. Google "flushable dog poop bags" and check out yourself.
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I agree with the "green extreme" comment. This does not seem to rank up there with other environmental matters. I love Caroline's suggestion, and will be looking into one of those doggie toilets. Thanks for the suggestion Caroline! =)
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I never really thought the situation all the way through other than it's good edicate to pick up from the streets and the neighbors lawn! Thanks for the information.
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Why? Because that drug-addicted human has rights in our world that our animal friends do not. Very few humans recognize that animals are worthy of the same love and respect that humans are, (some animals are more so, but that's just my jaded view...) The true question is, where to draw the line between MY right to take my dog to the beach or where ever, and ANOTHER'S right to sit on the sand w/o worry of stepping in animal waste or being approached by an animal they may be afraid of or just may not like. Not all pet owners are as resposible as they should be, and accidents do happen. That being said, maybe you should organize a beach cleanup in your neighborhood, since it's clearly a mess. One method could involve the owners of the area bars and restaurants which prosper from those that are fouling the beach. They could either volunteer to walk and cleanup or give donations to those that do. It'd be great PR for them, too. OR...get all the dog owners in you neighborhood together, make a committee to get part of the beach made into a dog park. While you're waiting for it to go through (it may take years), you could get together to do the same beach cleanups as I mentioned before but it would get your group's name out there, help your cause and show the naysayers that you're all serious about keeping your dog beach area pristine. Even if the beach remains off limits to dogs, you'll have a group of great dog-loving people, and a much cleaner beach! Just some ideas to consider...
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Compost is king. here is an excellent resource for composting: http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html
other things
plastic pags in a land fill are not exposed to oxygen rich soil and sunlight like you might find in your garden. Plastic bags and newspapers yes even newspapers do not decompose in a landfill.
We need to clean up after our dogs and not wildanimals because of population densities and diet. your dog does not eat what coyote or a wolf would eat. surface water pollution is a major problem because we keep pavin and creating more and more impervious surface. Rain can not soak into asphalt. It run into drains and most drains in the US empty into our rivers. so the dog poo on the sidewalk has a much much higher chance of polluting surface waters than one might think. If you were to operate a compost effectively managing temperature you could use dog poo with your edible gardens. I said your dog poo, not any that you find laying around. your dog should be up to date on shots and worms. cmposting is the best solution. It does not smell if done correctly, there is 99% pathogen kill in a well managed compost pile. (that is higher than your public sewer system) IT does not take up much room. please look into composting your food waste and dog waste for a better america..
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What is the chemical make up of this bag once dissolved? Is there a way to compost dog feces so that it may be used on gardens meant for human consumption? Thanks!
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