Have you been yelled at by a Karen or Ken when your pooch pooped and you were caught without a bag to clean it up? I have, several times. Even though I usually circle back to pick up the little pile, it’s just better to avoid the run-ins with the K’s by having a means to clean up after my dog immediately. I’ve gotten way better at making sure I have bags before I leave the house.
There’s good environmental reasons to pick up dog poo and not just to avoid the Karens and Kens. Domestic animal poop harbors fecal coliforms that can wash into waterways, polluting them and making humans and animals sick. It can do some serious damage to aquatic animals as well. Even though it’s hard to admit the K’s are right, picking up your animal poop is just the right thing to do.
Using a plastic bag to pick up poop just feels wrong, even if it’s made out of recycled plastic. Normally I’m all in on recycled plastic just because there is a lot of it in our environment and any little bit that gets reused or recycled is a good thing. But putting the poop in plastic feels like taking a hard to manage waste and making it even worse. First of all, poop is technically not allowed in any landfill. But since dog poop disposal toilets don’t appear to be readily available, there’s nothing else that can be done with it. My brother installed a doggy dooly when he had a great dane with great dane sized poop. It’s essentially a mini septic tank for dog poop in the form of a hole in your back yard. They’re not exactly legal but not illegal at the same time. If you’re in a rural area, it could be a great solution in your yard but it doesn’t give you a solution for dog walks.
There are a lot of “compostable” pet poo bags on the market. But here’s the thing- the way landfills are designed is like a tomb; nothing decomposes in a landfill. And pet poo is not accepted in compost. Maybe that’s an idea for the future though- a special bin just for pet poop? Anyway, the compostable bags are expensive and sometimes start the composting process while you’re picking up the poo or carrying it (ewwww). Save your money and the grotesqueity and do not purchase these.
A friend of mine recently alerted me to Pooch Paper. It’s a waxed paper that works even better than bags. You scoop the poop with the paper and fold the edges over into a ball and voila- a little pooch pail you can carry to the nearest waste bin or leave on the front porch for your favorite Karen or Ken! To me, this is the absolute best eco solution out there.
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