Conclusion: BUSTED.
Truth: Dog doo is beyond icky — it’s a health hazard. One wee gram of Fido’s feces can hold more than 20 million E. coli bacteria colonies, not to mention salmonella, giardia, roundworms, and other nasties. Dog turds are also a leading cause of water pollution. Just two or three days of droppings from about 100 dogs can foul an entire bay and require a shutdown to swimming and fishing, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
The answer? Pick up the poo in biodegradable bags like BioBag or other brands. (Some products might even be safe to flush down the toilet.) Avoid using conventional plastic bags, which only preserve turds for decades at the landfill. And forget about using dog waste for fertilizer: it’s actually toxic to lawns. For DIY green disposal, try the Doggie Dooley, a mini-septic tank that treats and reduces dog waste to a liquid safe for the ground. Otherwise, just do your duty: Pick up where Fido left off.
Have a friend who swears turning off the light when you leave a room actually wastes energy? Does your uncle tell you Hummers are more eco-friendly than hybrids? Whatever the eco myth, we'll help you get to the bottom of it. Submit your myth to SustainLane Greenbusters.
Read out more about greening your pets:
Protect Your Pet Without Chemicals
How to Make a Dog Toy from Recycled Pants
Debra M. says:
I used to use a plastic bag for kitty litter cleanup. Now, I put them in a large bucket and then bag the leavings once a week. According to what you said about dog poo, is it correct to assume that putting cat feces in a bag is also not a good idea? I should then find large bio degradable bags for my once-a-week cleanup.
Alysen W. says:
Very little decomposition occurs in the landfill due to the lack of oxygen, heat, light and moisture. Have there been studies showing that the biodegradable bags do decompose in a reasonable amount of time while in landfills?
Adam W. says:
Alysen - Unfortunately, most studies show that very few things actually break down the way we want them to in a conventional landfill. The reason for this is that anything deeper than 6 feet in a landfill (so most of the things in there) break down anaerobically, instead of aerobically. Anaerobic digestion is a process that results in the release of lots of methane and (usually) does not results in end products that are good for the planet. The only real benefit for biobags in this case I think is that at least you are giving your dog doo the possibility of breaking down, and if you local landfill is using a methane capture system your dog doo may actually be able to power your house! Realistically, the biggest benefit you will get from not using a plastic bag is that you wont be adding one more plastic bag to the world.
Alysen W. says:
Thanks, Adam. That is what I assumed based on my experience.
Alysen W. says:
And we must consider the amount of petroleum required to produce and transport corn-based bio-plastics.
Alexis H. says:
It seems that re-using existing plastic bags that would be less resource intensive than buying dedicated used biodegradable bags if they are headed to the landfill anyway.
Frick F. says:
Agree with Alexis. Better to reuse old plastic bags for scooping dogpoo or bagging catlitter.
If you're a saint who never accumulates plastic bags because you always bring your own canvas bag (Excellent!), then surely you have friends and neighbors who can give you their used plastic bags. This is probably at least as good as recycling the plastic bags, and many people still don't have convenient locations that accept plastic bags for recycling. (Most curbside collection does NOT accept plastic bags. But supermarkets in NY now have to offer plastic bag recycling, and I think Walmarts will recycle plastic bags--just don't shop there.)
Alexis H. says:
In my experience, even if you never get plastic shopping bags, then you still have some from packaging. Or newspapers on rainy days, etc. Pooper scooping fortunately is flexible on bag sizes.
--Alexis