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Here is my issue...I walk the dog three times a day. She has to poo at least twice. Because we usually walk in the park, I bought the little baggies and was picking it up. My oldest son, who is the green police in my house, told me the bags were terrible for the landfill and that I should just leave it. But, I said, people will step in it....You see how the argument went.
So, I gave him a compromise. If she went along the roadside, I would leave it. If she went in the park, I would pick it up in the landfill filling bags. Now he wants me to pick it up, bring it home to the compost pile and re use the bag! Any ideas on what is best for the environment? Why don't they make biodegradable bags and end my misery?
I know they make biodegradable bags for compost bins. You could probably use one of those and bring it home to compost. I have never used them so maybe someone else could speak for their durability. I'd would really stink to fill one and discover that they leak!
Here is my issue...I walk the dog three times a day. She has to poo at least twice. Because we usually walk in the park, I bought the little baggies and was picking it up. My oldest son, who is the green police in my house, told me the bags were terrible for the landfill and that I should just leave it. But, I said, people will step in it....You see how the argument went.
So, I gave him a compromise. If she went along the roadside, I would leave it. If she went in the park, I would pick it up in the landfill filling bags. Now he wants me to pick it up, bring it home to the compost pile and re use the bag! Any ideas on what is best for the environment? Why don't they make biodegradable bags and end my misery?
What do the rest of you do with your dog's poo?
I reuse bags from other packaging. Like a box of cereal has a bag inside of it, once we are done w/the cereal, I will save that bag and use it to pick up our dogs poo. We also save bread and hamburger or hot dog buns plastic wrappers that they come in to use as well once we are finished.
While composting is best for the environment, I've heard/read that leaving their poo is actually worse than picking it up and throwing it in a landfill b/c it gets into our waterways and can contaminate drinking water.
You should ALWAYS pick it up, no matter if it's a ditch or a large open field. It's a primary duty of an animal owner.
We bring the bag home and turn it inside out over the toilet, so it is flushed. We place the bag in a larger bag inside the trash can. that way we elimanite the horrible smell we used to have in the trash barrel.
As far as bags in the landfil, plastic bags of every size are slowly being eliminated. I'm sure you will soon only be able to by biodegradable bags for your dog. In the mean time, be a responsibile pet owner and pick up every tiime, no matter of the location. No one anywhere wants that stuff left around..
Props to the boy for being emviromentally conscience....
On my lawn, please pick it up. It's disgusting to step in when I mow the lawn or the kids play. Afterall, you probably don't want me crapping on your lawn or anywhere else but a toilet.
Do not compost pet waste in your backyard compost pile. It attracts vermin and may pass along microbes etc. that can be a health threat to humans and other critters.
Properly disposing of pet waste (http://www.ecocycle.org/askeco-cycle/2005/0701.cfm - broken link)
Ask your kid what he'd think if he stepped in dog poop while walking in a park or along the roadside or in their yard? And does he want to reuse a bag that's had dog poo in it?
Really. There are some things that are worse than reusing a plastic bag you would have thrown out anyway.
Do not compost pet waste in your backyard compost pile. It attracts vermin and may pass along microbes etc. that can be a health threat to humans and other critters.
Properly disposing of pet waste (http://www.ecocycle.org/askeco-cycle/2005/0701.cfm - broken link)
Ask your kid what he'd think if he stepped in dog poop while walking in a park or along the roadside or in their yard? And does he want to reuse a bag that's had dog poo in it?
Really. There are some things that are worse than reusing a plastic bag you would have thrown out anyway.
Great web site. Thank you.
Ok...thank you all for your replies. I forwarded the answers to my son. I am trying very hard to be environmentally aware these days. My son is majoring in Appropriate Technologies and Sustainable Development. He plans on making our world a greener place. I am just glad he doesn't know everything! I am learning. We are composting, recycling, gardening and even using the cloth grocery store bags. (Okay..I do forget occasionally) We are planning on putting in solar water panels very soon. Trying to be green one step at a time.
They sell biodegradable bags, you could use those. Or a pooper scooper so you can scoop and carry it home to your trash. That should not be composted and it should not be left roadside to stink and rot and decompose there either. If your son is that hardcore about it take it out of his allowance or let him walk the dog and reuse the bags
My oldest son, who is the green police in my house, told me the bags were terrible for the landfill and that I should just leave it. But, I said, people will step in it....You see how the argument went.
How about you let the dog poo in your own yard, and leave it there to decompose?
Then take the dog out for a walk afterwards.
or use these
Biodegradable Diaper Sacks
http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product.aspx?item=8435&mr:trackingCode=186953FF-347D-DD11-98CA-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA (broken link)
or http://www.biobagusa.com/biobag_dog.htm (http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/238981/product.web?gdftrk=xh23lc0p/7HDy%7Eg3JgKLcxoR75nFJ7K8H6r3sdUYxa8yvzk0ZY5UaSdXg eyaqkUbDLeetDgMNkn6IKY4FEcnk2tFQ8R0mcafiZiyQ0442CS iHBft9yp1pd66K/19XVlFYrxjonepkgu5aOIz%7EHr%7ElQ__ - broken link)
Some great advice in the posts above, I really like Ohiogirl's link .
I have 2 medium-large dogs myself and we take our dogs into our own yard before we go for our walk. I prefer to walk them "empty" if at all possible (a little pee-marking on the walk is fine though).
In most every city, it is the law to pick up after your dog, so there's usually no other option. It's for good reason too - see the health link inside of Ohiogirl's link. As a gardener, I find it very upsetting when someone has let their dog poop on my lawn. I prefer to garden with my bare hands and walk barefoot on my own lawn, but it can be downright dangerous if your neighbors are allowing their dog to do this on your property .
I've tried the in-ground dog poop composting systems (the enzyme eats the poop), but they're difficult to manage with Florida's sandy soils, in my experience. We're still trying to perfect it, we have the set up in the backyard, so I haven't completely given up, but I would not be quick to recommend those systems. Growing up, my father used a similar system but with lime as opposed to enzymes (and that was NY - different water table depth).
Most cities would be fine with you using the biodegradable bags and putting it in the garbage can. My city "looks the other way" on this practice because it's the lesser of evils.
Good luck in figuring out the best system for you!
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