Like human waste, Dog poop is not environmentally friendly and should not lie around the environment. It is unhealthy as it can contain bacteria, parasites, and pathogens that can make people sick.
It is also not suitable as fertilizer except after it decomposes. Therefore, it is every dog owner’s responsibility to dispose of their pet’s waste properly.
Fortunately, disposing of dog poop is not tricky, and you will learn the different ways to go about it in this post.
7 Ways to Dispose of Dog Poop At Home
Disposing of Dog poop is not the same as disposing of other hazardous waste, but the methods below will help you do it safely.
Flush It Down The Toilet
Unlike disposing of grease, you can dispose of dog poop by flushing it down the toilet. It is a safe method that works fine as disposing of human waste, does not have adverse effects, and is safe when you do it correctly.
The water in your toilet does not go to the river or stream directly; it goes through a sewage treatment plant that removes most pollutants. Therefore, the bacteria and pathogens in the poop will not get away after the treatment. You can scoop the poop and flush it directly into the toilet, then disinfect the toilet immediately to prevent toilet diseases from bugs in the poop.
You may also put the dog scoop in a flushable bag before flushing it down the toilet to ensure your safety. But let your local treatment plant and water board approve a bag before using it. It is necessary because flushable bags should break easily in the sewer system. But some bags labeled flushable may still clog up your pipes and sewer and lead to serious environmental problems as in disposing of cooking oil.
Use The Trash
One of the simplest but best ways to dispose of your dog poop is to throw it with regular trash. This method of disposing of dog poop may not seem the best since the poop will end up in the landfill, but it is safe if you follow the proper process.
The next time your Dog poops, the first thing is to scoop it with a shovel or recommended poop scoopers. Then, send the poop into a plastic bag with no holes. You may also use the bag to scoop up the poop instead of a shovel or poop scoop.
Turn the bag inside-out and put your hand in it. Pick up the scoop with your hand covered in the bag, then flip the bag over to cover the scoop. Seal up the bag neatly, knot it well to keep air from getting into it, and send it into your waste bin.
This method of dog poop disposal is safe because the process of bagging the poop will contain any bacteria and other parasites in it and eventually kill them. That way, the poop will become safe in the landfill since it is free of bacteria and other pathogens that can cause environmental hazards.
As cool as this method sounds, it is not always applicable because some landfills do not accept waste to avoid spreading diseases. In addition, your choice of bag matters, and you should choose a biodegradable bag like a bio bag for dog poop to avoid taking too much space in the landfill since such bags will break within a year.
Lastly, always wash your hands after dropping the scoop in the bin, and call on landfills that accept pets to pick it up.
Hire A Dog Poop Remover
Another way to dispose of your dog poop is to hire dog poop collection services. This method is best if you are skeptical about flushing dog poop down your toilet or if you can not find a landfill that takes pet waste.
Several pet waste removal services are willing to handle the messy job of disposing of your Dog poop. They have professionals that operate according to the state’s law, and their working system will leave you without worry.
Most companies in this business have different subscription plans at different rates. You can call for a one-time pickup or weekly scoop-up, and the charge is usually bearable. But you can be sure you have a reliable way to dispose of the dog poop from your yard.
Some of the professional dog poop scoopers include poop 911 and doodycalls. You can search for pet waste removal near me for more options.
Pet Waste Disposal System
Another safe way to dispose of dog poop is to use a pet waste disposal system. This method is not only safe, but it requires investing a small sum of money, and you can install the device to your sewer all by yourself.
Using a pet disposal system is similar to flushing it down the toilet, but it differs because you do not need to take the poop inside the house, and you reduce the risk of spreading diseases from the poop without using flushable bags.
The first step in using this method is to get a septic waste system designed for this purpose and install it directly into your sewer or septic clean-out. After the installation, you can scoop the poop, place it in the disposal system and wash it down with a hose. Consult the user’s manual for the steps to install the waste system.
As with flushing the dog poop down the toilet, the disposal system will send the poop to the sewer system, keeping the pathogens away from the stream or river.
The only downside to this method is that the disposal system may fail to work well if the weather gets too cold in your area. Therefore, it is advisable to use other options on days of severe cold weather. But it is safe for areas with consistent average weather conditions.
Bury It
Burying dog poop is also a reliable disposal option, and it is a standard and easy option, especially if you have enough land space in your backyard.
While this method is neither the best nor safe, it is better than leaving poop on your lawn and controllable.
Burying the dog poop will affect the soil quality in your home because the bacteria from the poop will concentrate on a spot. The bacteria can also cause problems for your pet and family if they find a way to the top of the soil.
However, you can control the effect of using this method by digging the land up to a foot deep at a minimum. It will ensure that the bacteria break down before getting to the top soil – keeping the nutrients in the topsoil intact and preventing the spread of diseases from the bacteria.
Note that it is essential to keep the dog poop away from your garden and change the burying spot often to avoid too much damage to the soil in a particular spot.
In addition, the waste decomposition period in the ground is about two months under the right weather conditions, and it may take longer in dry climates and cold temperatures.
Bacteria and pathogens in the waste can lie around for a few months before the total decomposition of the poop.
Add To Compost
Many people or blogs will advise you not to add dog poop to your compost because it is not safe. Well, they’re not wrong – composting dog poop is not safe if you skip the normal process of decomposing the poop. Therefore, saying, “do not compost dog poop without decomposing it,” is better.
So, how do you decompose your Dog poop before adding it to the compost?
One way to decompose dog poop is to scoop it up in a waste digester bin. You can find different kinds in local and online stores, and the Pest Waste Wizard Bio bin is one of them. It is an effective and easy-to-use pest waste digester, and it breaks waste down fast and reduces unpleasant and unhealthy odors.
This product is easy to install – no digging up of the ground, and it comes with bonus Pet Waste Wizard digester sachets.
You can also decompose dog poop locally without a pet waste digester with the following DIY steps:
- Place the poop in a bin with a shovel.
- Add a shovel of sawdust to every two shovels of the poop.
- Add some water to make it spongy.
- Cover the mixture when it’s about 3 feet deep.
The poop will decompose within months, and then you can add it to your compost as fertilizer. You will need to check the compost temperature every day in the first two weeks if you use the DIY method and turn the mixture if you notice a drop.
Grow Worms
You can dispose of your Dog poop by feeding it to worms. It is another way to turn the poop into fertilizer; the only difference now is that you will use worms instead of a waste digester.
You can buy a wormery or build one locally by holding the worms in a bin. Feeding the worms with the dog poop will turn it into fertilizer which you can add to your compost. This can also be a way to dispose of containers.
Additional Tips For Disposing of Dog Poop
The following tips help dispose of dog poop.
Always hold poop bags when walking your Dog out.
- Scoop the poop every time. Please do not leave it on the lawn.
- Practice weekly garbage pickup if you use the trashing disposal method.
- Do not wrap poop with newspapers. Always use a poop bag.
- Avoid adding poop to compost before decomposing it.
