During a 4-mile run with friends on Sunday, I stepped in dog poop on the sidewalk. It was raining all morning, so it was mushy and gross and it took a while to wash it all off of my sneakers. Ugh.
We've probably all run into a pet waste surprise at some point, so I think few people would disagree that pet owners need to clean up the poop. But the standard way to pick up the waste - a plastic bag - is far from being an eco-friendly answer, as the material is trapped inside polyethylene that is estimated to take hundreds of years to degrade in a landfill. So what's the solution?
Some people take the poop home and use it as fertilizer or compost in their gardens. While this may seem like good idea, many environmental scientists and activists strongly advise against it. Animal waste contains bacteria and parasites that can be harmful to humans if it gets into our water supply or vegetables that we grow. Instead, consider a biodegradable bag that will break down once in a landfill*, allowing the poop inside to eventually biodegrade as well. Some of these bags are even flushable, allowing you to drop the whole thing into the toilet. A number of companies, like BioBag and PoopBags have developed environmentally-friendly, corn-based bags, designed to "reduced your dog's carbon pawprint." :-)
*It's worth mentioning that bio- and photo-degradation in landfills is not as efficient as we?ve often believed, due to the way landfills are designed and maintained . . .
-Rabiah
Sources:
http://www.slate.com/id/2169287/
http://www.biobagusa.com/biobag_dog.htm
http://www.poopbags.com/
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/landfiller.html
Editor's Note: For more blogs from Dr. Rabiah, visit Science Chicago's website at: http://www.sciencechicagoblog.com
