Most people do pick up poop, but it’s important for everyone to do this, as not only can other people step in it, but as it dries it harms other dogs, children and wildlife. Poop bags are also best made from biodegradable materials, and councils can help by installing more bins and free bags, as it’s human nature to forget (if you compost, you are not allowed to sell food made with animal poop!) Report litter to Fix My Street (these complaints are sent to the council, but also go public on the website, which tends to speed things up!)
- Dicky Bag (Cornwall) is an award-winning mobile bag that’s lightweight, airtight, washable and leakproof, to use until you find a bin, if you’re somewhere remote.
- FETCH.IT compostable dog poop bags are strong and thick, with carry handles. They break down in weeks and are sold on a roll, with or without handles. Store them away from sunlight, or they will biodegrade away! The company also sells portable bags that you can attach to your belt, until you find a bin (avoid the mitts, they have artificial fragrance).
- The Green Poop Bag are sold in 2 month supply bags. Designed by a ‘crazy cat lady’, these are made with sugar and cornstarch, with a dark opaque print, handy tie and carry handles. The box and cores are made from cardboard. Unscented.
- Benevo Poop Bags are made from cornstarch and break down safely after use in 12 weeks, and biodegrade totally in 6 months. Sold in rolls in boxes, with easy-tear perforations.
biodegradable pooch paper!
Pooch Paper (US) is a recycled, non-chlorine-bleached paper alternative to single-use plastic dog poop bags. These biodegradable and compostable bags are made with green energy, and have a grease-resistant coating made naturally during the pulp-drying process. This ensures your doggie’s doodie remains inside the paper, and not on your hand! Each box contains a month’s supply and can be discarded in any refuse container or composted (not for fruits/vegetables). The company also make Pooch Paper Dispensers for parks etc, made from weatherproof, powder-coated mild steel, install on any standard steel mounting post. Refill with bulk 500 or 100 paper pack and sold with an instructional waste bin sticker.
a street lamp powered by poop!
A few years ago, a project in the US made a park light powered by dog poop. It encouraged locals to pick up the poop, which was then put in a device and hand-cranked to power the light. Today such ideas are worldwide, with the UK’s first one launching in the Malvern HIlls, Worcestershire. Looking a bit like a giant washing machine, 10 bags of poop can give 2 hours of light! It’s also a great way to recycle dog poop, which if left where it sits, can cause blindness to both humans and children, if they fell in it.
The lamps work by using an anaerobic digester to produce methane gas. The lamp was invented by Brian Harper over 3 years, who was fed up of seeing poop in bags hanging from trees, or left on grass verges. In Canada, people are asked to drop their poop bags into concrete storage units, which are then emptied by trucks and transported to be turned into electricity (the fertiliser by-product is then sold to farmers).
