Brooklyn dog park now upcycling poo

Brooklyn dog park now upcycling poo

April 23, 2017 / No Comments

When it comes to dogs in the area, priority one seems to be all about number two. Forget about the old days of picking up after your pup with a plastic bag or glove.

The future of poop procurement is two smart-looking, cedar wood stations housing dog waste buckets, which are actually compost bins. Hip Brooklynites are encouraged to place their dog droppings after hoovering them up with park-provided scoopers or environmentally friendly brown bags.

“Dog waste in and of itself doesn’t have any value…so we decided to create value out of it by upcycling it to fertilizer,” Leslie Wright of the New York State Parks Department said.

A pilot program at Williamsburg East River State Park is testing the feasibility of on-site dog waste composting using scoopers and cedar bins. See the CBSNY post.

Worm bins at Juneau trail heads? Why not?

December 12, 2016 / No Comments

There’s nothing like taking a walk on Alaska’s pristine wilderness. Unless you step in something — unexpected along the way. For parkgoers, what dogs leave behind on the trail can be a sensitive topic. For parkgoers, what dogs leave behind on the trail can be a sensitive topic. But one Juneau man has an unconventional solution he thinks could ease tensions and reduce waste, all at once. Bob Deering thinks worms might be a solution.

Metro Vancouver: take pet waste to recycling or treatment plants

September 21, 2016 / No Comments

In the U.S. there are no restrictions on how dog daycares, animal shelters and scooper services dispose of the tons of waste generated by their furry clients. Pet poop takes up the most space in their dumpsters, which are collected by trash trucks and streamed to landfills. In Metro Vancouver large quantities of dog or other animal waste are banned from the garbage.

The city instructs multi-pet operations to either transport waste or make arrangements for transporting waste to their closest transfer station or wastewater treatment plant. Several dog waste removal services have disposal privileges at these facilities and will contract with multi-pet operations to transport their waste.

Metro Vancouver
What to do with dog poo

Halifax collects pet waste with other compostables

February 18, 2016 / No Comments

Halifax and other nearby Canadian municipalities require residents to toss compostables into clear bags so that collectors ensure that items meet composting criteria.  New rules ask Halifax clients to deposit pet waste loose or in small clear plastic bags.  “This requirement rankles many Halifax dog owners because the municipality’s suggestion to use see-through poop bags such as baggies means they’re tossing non-biodegradable bags in the landfill.”

Boulder upcycling at trail heads

April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on Boulder upcycling at trail heads

How does Boulder Open Spaces and Mountain Parks encourage hikers with dogs to keep trails poo free and foster sustainability? The agency is expanding its dog waste composting program from three to seven trail heads. Boulder provides compostable dog pick-up bags and specially designated bins. Pet Scoop collects the waste and delivers it to the EnviroWagg composting site.

Scroll down to “What is the dog waste composting program?” at the City of Boulder website.

EnviroWagg’s Colorado green partners

March 18, 2015 / Comments Off on EnviroWagg’s Colorado green partners

Talking about being green and making token efforts are one thing. Taking steps to make a meaningful difference is another. This green team is helping to reduce carbon paw prints in Front Range Colorado communities.

Dog waste pick-up service

Pet Scoop is a Denver-based pick-up service dedicated to sustainable practices. The company has partnered with EnviroWagg to turn part of the dog waste it collects into compost that green up landscaping.

Households and residential complexes can contact Pet Scoop’s Waste-Not Service to receive a lidded container and bag for pet waste. Pet Scoop will pick it up weekly and send it to EnviroWagg for composting.

Pet Scoop transports waste from EnviroWagg’s green partners to Soil Rejuvenation Garden Bed Supply link https://soilrejuvenation.com/ in Longmont, Colorado

Dog parks

The municipalities below contribute to sustainability by participating in EnviroWagg’s composting program. The parks departments have installed stations with compostable bags, separate waste receptacles and signage at their dog parks to make it easy for visitors to divert their dog’s poo from the trash.

City of Boulder

Valmont Dog Park, 5325 Valmont Road, Boulder, CO 80301

Open Space and Mountain Parks Trailheads

Here’s the scoop on composting at the trailheads.

City of Lafayette

Great Bark Dog Park, 597 N. 119th Street, Lafayette, CO 80026

Here’s the scoop on Lafayette.

City of Louisville

Davidson Mesa Off-Leash Park

Town of Superior

Superior Dog Park, Autrey Park, Honey Creek Lane
Here’s the scoop on Superior’s composting program

City of Thornton

Trail Winds Park and Open Space on Holly Street at 136th Avenue, Thornton, CO 80229

– Thanks to park recycling sponsors Caring Hands Veterinary Hospital, Community Pet Hospital  and Kat’s K9s  for continuing support!

Dog day cares

Businesses and other organizations serving pets can go a long way toward zero waste via EnviroWagg composting. Cat waste can be included with collections if caretakers do not use clay litter. The facilities below transform dog waste to compost. Their four-legged clients are great little resources!

BARK! 425 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203

City Bark, 2000 W 8th Ave, Denver, CO 80204

City Bark Lodo, 3150 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216

Pawdners, 3320 S Knox Court, Englewood, CO 80110

The Sniff Shack, 5300 W. 44th Avenue, Denver, CO 80212

Zen Doggy Den, 4575 Wadsworth Boulevard, Wheat Ridge, CO  80033

Bar

Romero’s K9 Club & Tap House,  985 S Public Road, Lafayette, CO 80026

HOA

Heather Gardens, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way Aurora, CO 80014
Here’s the scoop on Heather Gardens’ smart seniors

Veterinarian

Deer Creek Animal Hospital, 10148 W Chatfield Avenue, Littleton, CO 80127

Today US dogs produce more waste than humans did in 1959

March 9, 2015 / 2 Comments

Much of the 11 million tons of dog waste generated in the U.S. each year is trashed and streamed to lined and sealed landfills. The rest is left on the ground as a potential pollutant, particularly in urban areas.

The average dog poops more per day than the average person. Throw in the tons of plastic we use in a foolhardy attempt to sanitize this absurd process.

Add it up and you find that today U.S. dogs generate more solid waste than the U.S. human population in 1959. Can you imagine an advanced country in 1959 not providing a practical sanitary disposal system that works for its 178 million people? We have a hard time wrapping our heads around that one and hope you do, too.

Sources

1959 human population
U.S. Census Bureau, 177,8 million

2016 dog population
U.S. Humane Society, 83 million

Pet waste quantities
Average dog produces .75 lb. of waste per day (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)

Human waste quantities

On average humans excrete 128 g (.28 lb.) of fresh feces per person per day – Rose, C.; Parker, A.; Jefferson, B.; Cartmell, E. (2015). “The Characterization of Feces and Urine: A Review of the Literature to Inform Advanced Treatment Technology,” 3.1

Dog waste vs. human waste

.28 lbs. human waste per day vs. .75 ave. dog waste per day

2016 U.S. dogs

83 million dogs x .75 lb. waste per day = total 62,250,000 lb. waste per day ÷ 2,000 = 31,215 tons per day
31,215 tons per day x 365 days = 11.4 tons dog waste per year

1959 U.S. humans

177.8 million humans x .28 lb. waste per day = total 49,784,000 lb. per day ÷ 2,000 = 24,900 tons per day
24,900 tons per day x 365 days = 9 million tons per year

 

Environmental impacts of dog waste

March 8, 2015 / Comments Off on Environmental impacts of dog waste

Toilets and sanitary sewage treatment provide humans with a workable solution to waste disposal. But there is no effective, broadly-implemented way to tackle the problem of pet waste. At this point, most pet lovers, shelters, kennels, breeders, municipalities, and pick-up services are left to their own devices.

Studies show that roughly 40% of all dog owners do not “stoop and scoop” and the ecosystem doesn’t gracefully embrace dog waste. If left intact, it can take more than a year to break down and can quickly turn any outdoor area into a site unfit for pets and humans.

In addition to the mess and smell, raw dog waste spoils grass and other landscaping. Dropped along trails, it kills native plants and encourages noxious weed infestation. Residual waste left at ground zero runs off into storm sewers and waterways.

Studies indicate that dogs are third or fourth on the list of contributors to bacteria in contaminated waters, increasing the potential for serious diseases, including cholera and dysentery. The EPA estimates that two days worth of dog waste from about 100 dogs can create enough pollution to close a bay and all the watersheds within 20 miles.

In addition to threats to humans, bacteria that feed on dog waste deplete oxygen, killing native aquatic life. The bacteria also feed algae blooms which block sunlight and suffocate fish. On fragile terrain such as hiking trails, dog waste contributes to the growth of invasive weeds that endanger native plants.