Disposing of dog waste?

[DJ]

I currently clean up after Lily goes #2 with dog bags and have been double bagging and put in large trash can. The can is in our garage. The smell has been so bad and atttacting many flies. I had to move our can outside. Even though I've been double and triple bagging her poop. How should I dispose of it. I've read you shouldn't throw in woods because of bacteria etc getting into water system. I don't want to flush it. What does everyone else do? Thanks!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We do what you do except we have a small can with a tight lid that we keep at the edge of the yard. We then put it in the trash for pick up each week.

[Nga and Cinni]

I use Earth Rated poop bags with handles that are scented from Chewy.com so it helps with the odor. I purchased a small inexpensive plastic trash can that has a pedal that opens the lid when you step on it from Walmart. I line it with a plastic grocery bag before putting the poop bags in. I think having a lid keeps the bugs away. I use the handles to tie up the grocery bag and put it in the big garbage can the night before pickup.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I see you all do the same thing..and I have to say that this idea has bothered me for years---plastic bags by the MILLIONS going into landfills along with all the other disposable stuff we have invented...it concerns me--I know they have biodegradable bags and I would urge my fellow doodle lovers to give the planet a break and use those.

I live in a rural area where the woods is filled with deer waste, etc, so I don't worry too much about bacteria since it is everywhere already--we have a lot of woods around us and every house has at least an acre of land (I have 5) and their own well and septic system. I scoop the poop with a tray/rake comb and throw it into the woods in many different places. I must say that I have wonderful native plants all around my yard that love the fertilizer! :)

Here is a good article about poop bags and environmentally friendly ways to dispose of them--but I admit, tossing them in the garbage, might be your only choice.

https://www.rover.com/blog/truth-about-biodegradable-poop-bags-in/

[DJ]

Yes!! I completely agree about the bags and that thought comes to my mind every time I use them. So much waste! We will be moving to 3 acres soon with woods and wondered if I should just toss it? It does become natural fertilizer anyway, right? Then I read you should't do it. That's why I don't know the right answer?

[Ginny Nightingale]

Throw it in the woods in different places and away from where you will walk into the woods--it will degrade--it does get a bit piled up in the winter, but by late spring, all gone.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do use biodegradable poop bags, and I pay a pretty penny for them, lol. But since they're going into the landfill with the rest of the garbage, I'm not sure how much good that does.

I wonder how many parents are using cloth diapers these days instead of disposables, out of concern for the planet? 

IF you feed your dogs only foods that contain natural ingredients, the poop does become "natural fertilizer". That could be compared to the waste of wild animals. But if the food/treats contains artificial or chemical preservatives, colorings, etc, that's all going to go into the soil, water, etc. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

My grandson is n cloth diapers.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LIKE!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Mine WAS--my daughter had a tough time with them and then went back to work and that was the end of it--some of them are so nice now with liners and covers, that if I were young, I would try them--but she is just too busy. I agree that disposable diapers are adding to the waste , as are disposable mop padss, sponges, female products-- the list goes on and on....this is just another addition--but if there is some small thing we can do, that would be great. It adds up. But I also think the landfill may not allow then to biodegrade--hard to know what the best answer is.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have a mop with a removable head, a pad that attaches with Velcro, that goes in a wash with rags. It's an industrial one by Rubbermaid and it's great.

[John Deutinger]

Just a quick tip - If using an open pail / bucket be sure to drill some holes in the bottom, nothing worse than a bucket full of rain-poop water.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good tip. With my flower pot I have drainage. I also have a few rocks in it to weigh it down since it's light weight.