Many of us own dogs. Dogs make our world complete. They remain your loyal friend and never cease to be happy when you come home, whether it's only been 30 minutes or an entire work day. Walking your dog comes with the package, unless you live on a farm or ranch, or maybe out in a rural area. For the rest of us, we have to pick up the poop from the pooch. OK, we are supposed to pick up the poop from our dogs. I am sure we all have that neighbor that doesn't. Not picking up the poop is zero waste because you aren't using plastic bags but you just shouldn't do that in a city or suburban setting.
First, dog poop is acidic and damages grass. It doesn't act like fertilizer, like you might think. Did you know the EPA classifies dog poop the same as oil spills, as a pollutant? On top pf that, there are millions of different bacteria in there. If you left it to rot, it could stay in the soil for years. What if your neighbor's dog was sick, left the poop on the ground, and then your new puppy gets sick, or even dies, from contaminated soil from two years ago from the neighbor's dog poop? It's not that far fetched. Puppies have been known to get Parvo and other serious, life-threatening diseases from drinking out of rain puddles that were contaminated this way.
Speaking of rain runoff, as it rains, the water goes into sewage pipes and to water treatment facilities. Did you know they are not able to filter bacteria from dog poop out of the water? So if you just leave your poop out, the rain will wash the bacteria into your drinking water. Got that?
Now that we have that understanding, you know the importance of picking up after you dog. So, what can we use to pick up the poop besides plastic grocery bags or plastic poop bags? Well, there is a poop scoop you can use, but then you need somewhere to deposit that poop. You going to carry that poop home in your scooper if there is no trash can anywhere? I don't think so. Besides, what if Fido goes a second time? I didn't want to use plastic bags, so my research began. At first, I bought poop bags that I thought were perfect. They were large enough to comfortable fit my husband's large hands and they had handles that tied at the top. Not knowing much, I saw they used EPI technology, which promised decomposition in under 18 months. What I didn't know, was that it means decomposing in sunlight. Throwing the used poop bags in a trash bin that has a large black plastic bag that goes to the landfill means it will never hit the light of day. In essence, I wasted money on poop bags that were plastic and will not decompose in the manner they are disposed. I could've gotten the same results for free from plastic bags from the grocery store. And you know how much I hate plastic bags and what they do to our environment. Here are the BPI technology bags that were an ease to use but not a good choice.
Another product that I have seen in dog poop bags is the use of OXO technology. They infuse this additive into the plastic bag that causes it to break down but it needs sufficient oxygen to do so. Typically, landfills do not have sufficient oxygen other than the bags on top of the pile. Plus, at the end of the day, it is still plastic. Plastic leaches chemicals that are known toxins into out water supply. If you are trying to reduce plastic, this is not the way to go.
I believe I have found a solution. Unni.World makes garbage bags and dog poop bags from plants. They are fully 100% compostable and biodegradable. They are even given the green light for home compost in the UK. (Check your compost time needs on dog poop before using the compost on your garden. Not responsible for your mishaps.) They are even USDA certified. They are sustainable biobased and not petroleum-based. They come in all sizes, with handles and without. So far, I couldn't be happier.
If you want yours, you can order from Amazon, here. I do make a small commission that is paid by the seller that does not affect your price at all. They send it in a paper bubble envelope that can be reused. If you order a lot of other items from Amazon all at once, there is a greater possibility that they will ship it all in a box you can compost. The link will open in a new tab so you can come back to my blog. I am an Amazon affiliate because it helps to pay to keep this website up and running. I know Amazon uses a lot of plastic, but I have found ways to order around it, such as placing one large order all at once through prime so that it comes in a cardboard box.
Have you tried compostable poop bags? What do you think?
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