EnviroWagg :: dog poop compost, dog waste compost, carbon paw print

In spite of its image as a haven for environmentalists and green company start-ups, Colorado is among the lowest 20% of states when it comes to recycling. In late 2007 Governor Bill Ritter adopted a Climate Protection Plan to facilitate the adoption of carbon reduction practices in Colorado. This strategy designates solid waste diversion an integral part in the state's master plan to apply the brakes to global warming. Many Colorado municipalities, companies and nonprofit organizations are taking the initiative by implementing and expanding local recycling programs.

The fact that 39% of Colorado's 1.8 million households own at least one dog is a testament to the high value residents place on canine companionship. The downside of dog ownership is disposing of the waste. Colorado's 700,000+ dogs generate an average of ¾ lb. of waste per day each. That translates into 525,000 lbs (262.5 tons) per day and 191,625,000 lbs. (95,800 tons) per year.

Of the 95,800 tons of dog waste produced, half is thrown into the trash and half is left on the ground or disposed of in some other manner. So approximately 48,000 tons of dog waste is streaming into landfills. How does this stack up against other recyclables?

In 2006 Colorado disposed of 34,000 tons of #1 and 2 plastics. Recycling programs diverted 20% of this material from landfills (Analysis of 2006 Colorado Waste Stream - Initial Findings, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Pollution Prevention Advisory Board, January 22, 2008).

It stands to reason that starting to compost just a fraction of the dog waste produced will
• take a polluting and potentially dangerous substance out of circulation, and
• keep it out of landfills where anaerobic decomposition results in methane, a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

"Recycling" is a process that changes or reconditions an item that is no longer useful back into the system for further use. Much of recycling is "downcycling," that is, turning the material into a substance with less value that it originally possessed. Plastics and mixed metals are examples of items commonly downcycled. That's not the case with organic materials.

"Upcycling" is a process that transforms the item into something more valuable than it was at the start. An upcycled material not only pays back, but pays back with interest!

San Francisco launched a program to upcycle its dog waste into an alternative energy source in January 2006. At the time, the city planned to deposit tons of the material into an anaerobic digester, which uses bacteria to convert organic waste into methane gas. The gas is then captured and burned to produce energy in the form of electricity and natural gas. Dogs in the Bay Area produce an estimated 6,500 tons of waste - nearly 4% of total landfill waste - every year. This project was initiated to help the city reach its goal of diverting 75 percent of its waste from landfills by 2010 and achieve zero landfill waste by 2020. Recent reports indicate that the city has suspended this program and is now focusing on food scraps. But communities with a goal of zero waste will eventually need to find a sustainable solution to disposing of dog waste.

An easy, low-cost way to upcycle organic material is to simply compost it. To work its magic, composting requires only biologically derived matter, air, a bit of warmth, moisture, hungry organisms, and a person skilled at the practice. Composting dog waste is a creative and elegant solution to an inelegant dilemma.