Eco-Experts: Learn About Insulation Options, Rust-Proofing and Composting Dog Waste
(Page 3 of 3)
July/August 2003
By Natural Home Staff
Dog excrement contains no known potential disease pathogens communicable to humans, so there are alternatives to discarding it with household rubbish. (Cat excrement, on the other hand, can cause toxoplasmosis, a disease that affects the nervous system.)
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Where the soil is dry and there is little risk of polluting groundwater, dog excrement can be trenched under a few inches of soil in your yard or elsewhere to be stabilized by beneficial bacteria, and its nutrients used by plants (preferably non-edible plants, just to be safe).
Composting is another option. Consider using or making a composter that is more contained and less accessible to rodents and insects. Get a fifty-gallon and a thirty-gallon plastic trash bin (or any other two sizes -the key is that one fits inside the other with at least two inches of space around it). Fill the bottom of the larger bin with four inches of sawdust, packed shredded paper, or soil-less growing media (found at nurseries). The smaller bin is your dog excrement receptacle. Drill many half-inch holes in the sides and bottom and place it inside the larger bin. The holes expose the sides of the composting excrement to air, which fast-acting composting bacteria need. Drill about five half-inch holes around the side of the outer bin or one large hole (three inches in diameter) and cover it with insect screening. Every week or so, you can add two cups of water and sawdust, some brown (not green) grass clippings, or a handful of finished compost to the smaller bin, and give it a toss with a spading fork or a hoe.
When it's full, build another two-bucket composter system of the same design. When that second composter fills, you can empty the contents of the first composter, which should be safely stabilized by then. Trench the compost under the soil around flowers and shrubs.
City dwellers who must pick up after their dogs in public places might consider bringing the waste home in a piece of newspaper or biodegradable plastic or cornstarch bags (often available at your natural foods store or from BioBag, 800-233-8438), which can be thrown into the composter along with the contents.
Carol Steinfeld is co-author of The Composting Toilet System Book (Chelsea Green, 2000) and conducts workshops on composting and composting toilets.
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