Why Use Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags

Why Use Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags : All right, it’s time we get serious about things. There is an issue that’s plaguing people’s lives. It’s leaving many people confused, and it’s just an all-out crappy situation to be in.

Today, we’re talking crap and looking into the world of biodegradable pet poop bags. There is a lot of big claims made about them, and they aren’t as easy to use as you may think. So what’s the truth and how can we use these to save the environment?

Why Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags Might Be Misleading

Biodegradable is an easy term to skirt the rules of as everything will eventually biodegrade in some shape, way, or form. It’s still a great idea to use the term when searching for dog poop bags, just don’t stop your research there.

What to Look for When Buying Eco Friendly Pooh Bags

Before buying pooh bags that are eco-friendly, you want to look for at least either ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6954 certifications. These both represent different rates that a product will biodegrade by a certain timeline and standard.

An ASTM D6400 certification will usually be rewarded the most environment-friendly poop bags and is considered compostable. These items are required to decompose within 6 months under ideal conditions — more about that in a minute.

An ASTM D6954 label will indicate that while not compostable, it will break down within a two-year time frame. This certification tells us the company added a chemical to the plastic to ensure it is oxo-biodegradable. These bags are cheaper but less environment-friendly — still a much better option than regular waste bags.

Now sometimes you can’t find the certification on these products. If that’s the case, you’ll want to look into the ingredients that make up the pooh bag — sounds yummy doesn’t it

Plant starches and other food-grade polymers are things to look for — if you’re looking to compost your dog waste, these are the bags you want.

Incorrect Ways Of Disposing Pet Waste

Despite the hundreds of years we have spent with our pets as our best friends, and sometimes scorn enemies, we are terrible at disposing of their waste.

Before we go on, we need to address cat waste and why disposing of it is not the same as dog waste or even human waste for that matter.

How to Dispose of Cat Waste

As crazy as it might sound, there is no great way to dispose of cat waste. The official recommendation by most local governments is to carefully seal tight the waste bag and place it into the garbage. That’s all you can really do because cat waste is tricky.

Cats are the only animals that the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii can reproduce in. When infected, a cat’s fecal matter will contain eggs that hatch and can infect you, your dog, etc. Those with a weak immune system, that are pregnant, etc. need to be mindful of this when they have cats.

Fortunately, indoor cats are fairly safe — the main cause of them getting infected is from rodents infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite will move into the rodent’s brain and turn off their fear response making them unafraid of cats — you may have heard the term “zombie rat” due to this nightmarish parasite.

Because of this, it’s even more important to avoid improperly disposing of cat waste in landfills, attempts to compost it, or even flushing it. Marine life in waters infected by landfill runoff are more frequently found to contain this parasite.

Landfills

This is likely where most pet waste ends up, and it’s not a great place for them. Dog waste is OK to throw away in landfills, but only when using biodegradable waste bags and even then there are issues. The majority of “biodegradable” bags— even when they are certified compostable — will only break down in aerobic environments.

The heaping mountains of densely compacted trash found in landfills prove troublesome to this environmental requirement. This can prevent biodegradable bags that typically degrade in a few months from biodegrading for years.

Municipal Yard Waste Bins

Your city isn’t likely down with you throwing away pet waste of any kind in municipal yard waste bins. Make sure you check though, as they might offer advice as to where in your city you can properly dispose of pet waste.

How to Correctly Get Rid of Dog Waste

Dog waste is a lot easier to dispose of since you don’t have to worry about the Toxoplasmosis.

Flushing

It might seem weird to flush dog poop, but without a doubt, this is the safest way when it comes to how effortless it is.

The only negative is that dog pop bags can’t go down the toilet with the pooh. They do make flush bags, and while they will flush down your system just fine, they may cause issues further down the line in the sewer system.

Composting

You do not want to use dog waste as a fertilizer until it has been composted. It is essential that you compost dog waste for two main reasons.

First, dog waste has high concentrations of nitrogen over other nutrients. This is why dog poop can leave dead spots in the grass as the nitrogen burns the vegetation. To correct this issue, you can add dry carbon-rich materials such as sawdust, hay, newspapers, and fallen leaves. Even better, the you can find eco-friendly poop bags such as this biodegradable dog bags. Which is made out of plant starches rich in carbon, so it alone can help you amend the dog waste.

The second reason you need to compost dog waste is to kill any dangerous pathogens and microbes. Fortunately, this is pretty easy as the temperatures in compost bins get hot enough to destroy all traces of any nasties. You’ll have to stick with bins though to ensure the temperature stays constantly hot enough — this means no piles or pits.

You’ll want a long stick thermometer to monitor that your compost temperature reaches and maintains 145 degrees Fahrenheit for several days.

Reasons to not compost Dog Waste

The only time you do not want to compost your dog’s waste is when they are sick or have parasites. As long as you follow a worming schedule in accordance with your veterinarian guidelines, you shouldn’t have to worry about worms. Roundworms pose the largest risk as they are common throughout the world — these eggs are naked to the human eye.

While composting dog waste takes a little work compared to cow manure, by using biodegradable dog poop bags the process because a lot easier. Plus, you probably have everything you’ll need lying around the house. So skip the cow, and use biodegradable poop bags made from plant starches instead.