Zero-Waste Poop Bags (what are the best choices?)

Millions of people walk their dogs, and dogs poop! Leaving poop on the ground can leave toxins that can harm other dogs, wildlife and people. So don’t just leave it to ‘biodegrade away’ in nature.

With millions of poop bags used, it makes sense to try to find better ones. You can’t compost dog poop (and it’s illegal to grow and sell food that uses compost with animal waste). So it’s a case of finding the best bags.

Read up on volunteer dog walking and humane dog training.

A bit like bin bags, there is a big of greenwashing here. Compostable bin bags don’t always home-compost (and as mentioned above), you can’t compost them anyway, with dog poop in.

Most compostable bin bags mean they can only be industrially composted. That means that you need a greenish council that has facilities to do this. Otherwise just put them in your normal waste bin.

Others say to use recycled plastic bags. These stop the use of new plastic. But if they get littered, they still fall down drains and go into the sea, where they break into microplastics.

Nothing’s perfect. But here are a few ideas.

PoopShark (a nifty US invention)

PoopShark makes paper poop bags, so there’s no plastic. Sold in a dispenser box, it’s treated paper to deal with poop. One size picks up most poops, no need to lick your fingers to open up! Designed to work for both right-and-left handed people, one box contains 60 bags.

Not for wet weather or doggy runny poo!

It kind of works like that game you used to play as a child, where you would fold paper into little pyramids and it ‘scoops the poop’. And profits are helping to reforest California after the wildfires.

The Green Poop Bag (eco-friendly bags)

The Green Poop Bag is likely one of the greenest poop bags on the market. It’s sold in two sizes, and pretty strong too.

DickyBag (for when you’re not near dog bins)

DickyBag is basically carried on you, so you can pop poop bags inside with hands-free, until you find a bin. The main ones are made from neoprene (same materials as wetsuits) to keep them dry and odour-proof. Wipe-clean after use. Made in Cornwall.

If you do launder, do so in a microfiber filter, due to synthetic materials. 

Dog poop solutions for councils 

What would really help is if councils installed poop stations with biodegradable bags. It’s human natuer that sometimes people forget bags. Good councils install these for free on rolls, and then this costs less than sending council workers out to clean up later on.

• The pet genie dog bin locks waste and odour away, and has a multi-layer refill film to lock away smells until emptying. You can also use this for parks, with a handle and pail, ideal for park clean-ups or large gardens.
• This large dog waste bin is more like it. With millions of dogs, those small red ones just don’t cut it, as they often are full before council staff get to empty them, resulting in lots of smelly bags overflowing.
• This station even includes bags and a little hand wash station! In Japan, this is the norm, where there is never litter anywhere.

Light public parks with dog poop!

Park Spark Project (US) is a great idea, to encourage people to pick up the poop. People literally throw the poop inside, use a hand crank and this produces energy to light the park!