Could we, should we compost dog poop?
The New York Times's Green Inc. blog has an item about an effort to compost dog waste in Ithaca, N.Y. It's kind of a pilot project where dog owners at a certain dog park are given special corn-based bags to pick up poop. They dump it in a special container that is picked up by a composting company.
The compost people haven't yet decided what to do with the waste. They'll mix it with top soil if it's not such good quality or use it in gardens if it's good quality.
But I've long thought about the amount of dog poop I throw away. All those plastic bags that sit in the landfill forever. But the alternative is to leave it on the ground. That's not really an alternative, though. People, including little kids, would step in it. And some of it would -- and lots does now -- end up in our waterways where bacteria already is a serious problem.
But would people actually participate in a composting operation here? There used to be a bin at work that was bright yellow and labelled for ink jet and electronic recycling only. Yet every day there was trash in it. I don't know if people didn't pay any attention or did it on purpose, but either way, I can imagine the other stuff that would go into the compost bin at the dog park.
So, what's the answer?
Associated Press photo of dogs in a park in Ithica, N.Y.
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Going Green, Parks
Comments
Worm-bin composters (as opposed to regular nitrogen/carbon composters) can handle pet waste from dogs and cats. Look at the Green Cone system, for example: http://www.greencone.com/
It can also handle meat and bones, unlike regular composters, but cannot handle yard waste like grass clippings, sticks, and leaves. Still, if you have a pet it might be a good system for your household.
Posted by: Baltomommie | September 21, 2009 10:28 AM
I would NOT put animal waste into a worm composter! Meat and bones should not be fed to worms either. I've found this site to be a good resource: http://www.compostguy.com/composting/pet-waste-composting/
Animal waste needs to be composted at a very high temperature to kill any pathogens.
Posted by: AlizaEss | September 21, 2009 11:46 AM
We have a composter in our back yard and While I don't use the biodegardable plastic bags all of the time, I will dump the poop in loose and then garbage the bag.
Not the best system and I will be trying to figure out a better way to do it - but composting the poop seems to work okay in our small system sans bags!
Posted by: Halyma | September 21, 2009 11:56 AM
AlizaEss, the link you provide actually suggests setting up a separate composter for pet waste, and using worms.
Posted by: Baltomommie | September 21, 2009 12:06 PM
We are composting dog waste commercially in Colorado and selling it as a 100% safe, high quality retail product for flowers, shrubs and container plants. Visit www.envirowagg.com.
Posted by: Ewagg | September 21, 2009 7:25 PM