If you own a dog you know their poop can be a real problem. On one hand if left where it lies, dog excrement can pose a public health concern as well as an environmental hazard. On the other, if picked up by a plastic bag, it will be encased for centuries in the landfill.
Well Ithaca, NY has been testing a solution. The Allan H. Treman Marine State Park started using corn-based compostable bags, encouraging park goers to use them to pick up their dogs waste and deposit them in special bins. The used bags were then picked up by a composing company and mixed with some yard and wood waste. The result was over 12 tons of dog waste picked up over 18 months composted down to just two truckloads of compost. Even better, this compost is pathogen-free.
A Colorado company based out of Aurora, is already working with the idea of turning dog poop into compost on a commercial level. Called EnviroWagg, they collect canine waste from parks, shelters, etc. and sell the finished compost product as Doggone Good Compost which is sold locally.
The whole process is relatively inexpensive and is something any home composter can do at home!
For more information:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/who-knew-upcycling-the-dog-poo/#more-138196
Written by Savannah Miller, Business Development Intern, Spring 2012
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