What should I do with my dog's poo?

When, exactly, did dog poo become such a problem? It’s the modern fashion for disregarding rules, exercised by a minority of the population, that causes grief for the genuine dog-loving, law-abiding citizens. So, what can we do about it?

Biodegradable poo bags

Picking up after your dog needn’t be an expensive affair. There are some super-expensive gadgets on the market that keep mess away from hands, but do you really need to carry cumbersome items around with you? Hands should be free to hold a lead and throw a ball. Pockets in dog-walking jackets are there for a phone (in case of emergency), coins for a cup of coffee in the park, a bag of enticing training treats, and some plastic bags to pick up deposits during the walk.

There are many biodegradable poo bags on the market for picking up after dogs. Every supermarket stocks them, as do pet stores, and online shops.

Bag up your dog poo

But, once you’ve picked up after your dog, what do you do with the bag? Certainly, you don’t leave it by the pathway or hanging in the hedgerows or trees to slowly decompose and create another mess.

It’s much easier to walk to a bin or carry the bag home where it can be deposited safely. Admittedly, dog waste bins can be very few and far between in some areas, but this is where a carrier bag comes into its own. Simply place the dog poo bag into a larger carrier bag, and it’s easily transported until you spot a suitable bin. The carrier bag is less obvious as a transporter of waste material and can hold quite a few deposits during a walk.

Dispose of dog poo at home

Most dog waste will be deposited at home, most likely in the garden. Then it’s a question of how to dispose of it.

According to Anglian Water, no types of animal faeces or poo bags should be flushed down the toilet. This is because the sewer network is not suitable for this kind of waste, and Toxocara, also known as roundworm and often found in animal faeces, can survive the processing, despite the relatively high temperatures and harsh conditions.

Flushing dog poo bags down the toilet causes blockages. A spokesperson for Anglia Water explained: “Poo bags do not break down before they reach our systems, and can add to the already 40,000 blockages we have to deal with each year. Blockages are no fun for anybody, especially if they result in sewage not being able to get away, and instead coming back up and flooding into customers’ properties.

“We would ask people not to flush any poo bags, regardless of whether they say flushable, down the toilet, and also not to flush dog poo down the toilet either.”

Putting the waste out for the dustman to collect is a possibility, but not a pleasant job if the bag splits. If this is your chosen route for disposing of your dog’s waste, collect the bags and store them in another strong plastic sack, then place this inside your usual waste bag so it’s well protected and not liable to burst open.

Home dog waste disposer

There is a home dog waste disposer that you can bury in the garden. You simply lift the lid, pop in the dog waste, follow a few simple instructions, and the waste disintegrates into the garden. But, as many dog owners have more than one dog, or a large dog who creates large deposits, you may need something larger and more substantial if you wish to dispose of all the poo, so why not try to make your own waste disposer or composter?

• Purchase a large plastic dustbin with a secure lid. Carefully cut four large holes in the bottom of the bin. Puncture smaller holes around the sides and halfway up the height of the bin.
• Dig a hole in your garden which is one foot deeper than the bin.
• Fill the hole with six inches of pea shingle.
• Top this up with larger pebbles and sit the dustbin on top so that when the lid is on it sits just above the level of the ground.
• Sit the bin into the hole and fill around the outside with more pea shingle to secure it in place.
• Use a bio-activator or septic tank starter as per the instructions as you gradually add your dog waste. Flush with water occasionally to help solids disintegrate. Remember this should not be sited in close proximity to where children and pets play or near to a vegetable plot.

Wormeries

It’s possible to recycle your dog waste in a ready made wormery. The compost from the wormery shouldn’t be used on vegetables in the garden but is suitable for flower beds. The boxes come with all ingredients (apart from dog waste), and after following the easy steps the worms will soon be processing your dog’s waste and making suitable fertiliser for the garden.

A word of advice is not to put the dog waste into the wormery if your dog has been wormed within the last week, as it will kill the worms working there.

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