Use Compostable Dog Excrement Bags, Not Biodegradable
Collecting your dog’s poop is doing everyone a favor, but if you want to do a favor for the environment, you’ll need to use the right poop bag. A plain old plastic bag can pollute the oceans, choke on animals, and poison the soil , so you’re probably using one that’s listed as “biodegradable.” But not all bags are what they seem. Here’s how you can choose the right type of feces bag for your dog.
Read Biodegradable Bags Carefully
When a product is biodegradable, it means that the material breaks down and returns to the ground, hopefully without harming water, soil and air. Unfortunately, “biodegradable” has its limitations. Some biodegradable products need to be disposed of in a specific way; otherwise, they may not return to Earth in the way we think, including with bags for dog excrement .
Use compostable bags instead of biodegradable ones.
Choosing a different bag may be the easiest way to protect the environment. Use a compostable bag instead of a biodegradable one, as compostable bags decompose, returning nutrients back to the ground . They usually consist of foods such as potato starch and other plant materials to help them break down properly. Marine biologist Richard Thompson conducted a study of the difference between biodegradable and compostable at the University of Plymouth , reporting that “in an underwater environment, the compostable bag completely disappeared within three months,” while conventional plastic and biodegradable bags could still hold five pounds of food.
Compost and fertilize dog feces
Even compostable bags have their limitations: some compostable bags do not receive the heat and centralized oxygen they need to completely break down and end up in landfills. So, if you are really serious about it, there is an option where neither the feces nor the bag ends up in the trash heap. If you are ambitious and energetic, the best way to keep your dog free of environmental pollution is to put it to good use: use a compostable bag and bring the feces home to add to the compost heap. Together with the compost soil, feces decompose and release germs . And once destroyed, you can reuse the soil for your home garden.
Use a compostable paper bag
Of course, if your dog doesn’t poop only in your private backyard, carrying poop home from a walk in the park is a rather inconvenient option. Another option is a paper bag that completely removes plastic from the equation, eliminating any risks of plastic chemicals leaking into the ground. In addition to paper bags, you can use compostable paper bags to make sure they break quickly and eventually feed the soil our dogs crap on.