Dog poop is unpleasant to say the least. It’s unsightly and smelly; it harbors dangerous pathogens capable of spreading disease and can really ruin your day when it ends up on the bottom of your shoe!
If you’re a responsible dog owner, you bring your trusty poop bags with you everywhere you go and you pick-up after your dog. You think you’re doing the right thing, but in reality, most doggy poop bags on the market today have serious long-term negative implications for the environment.
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We all know plastic is bad for the environment and takes hundreds of years to decompose, but did you know that many dog poop bags on the market today that claim to be “biodegradable” don’t actually decompose when disposed of in landfill? Shocking right?!
It’s because “biodegradable” plastic dog poop bags require the proper conditions to actually break down (mainly oxygen). They don’t get that in landfill. Many of these bags aren’t compostable either. Meaning that, when they eventually do break down (which can take years), they don’t break down completely, leaving lots of little nasty bits of plastic behind.
So what’s the solution?
There are a few:
1. Paper-based options
Above via Only Natural Pet
Above via K9 Clean
- Use paper-based dog poop bag options and alternatives instead. Products like K9 Clean Eco Poop Scoop Bags and Pooch Paper.
Image source: Reusable Nation
- Or DIY your own poop bags from newspaper (check out this neat tutorial from Reusable Nation).
2. Vegetable-based options
Image source: My Alpha Pet/Amazon
Image source: G.A.S./Amazon
Image source: Doggy Do Good/Amazon
- Opt for dog poop bags made with corn starch and other vegetable-based alternatives, like My AlphaPet Poop Bags, Give a Sh!t or Doggy Do Good Premium Pet Waste Bags. Unlike many others, they’re FULLY biodegradable AND compostable.
Also, because they’re vegetable-based, they breakdown completely in landfill in around 3 months and don’t leave any little nasty bits of plastic behind.
Look for terms such as “100% compostable”, “corn starch” and, “vegetable-based” on the pack.
For more info about the differences between “biodegradeable”, “degradeable” and “compostable” poo bags, check out the super-helpful infographic from Alpha Pets below;
3. Pet waste composting kits
Image source: Doggy Dooley/Amazon
- Dispose of dog waste in your family toilet or invest in a dedicated pet waste composting kit, like the Doggie Dooley Pyramid Dog Toilet pictured above.
In summary
There are over 900 million dogs on this planet, that’s over 328.5 billion dog poops per year – minimum! If even a small portion of us switched to paper dog poop bags and other truly environmentally friendly dog poop bag alternatives, imagine how much plastic we could save going into landfill.
Seems silly to put organic waste into a plastic bag that can take up to 1000 years to decompose don’t you think?
Consider making the the switch today – I know we will be!
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Why not check out some of our other eco friendly dog product posts?
*Post thumbnail image – Pooch Paper via Only Natural Pet
