Biodegradable Poop Bags

Posted: July 8th, 2010 | Author: saldarji | Filed under: stuff | Tags: biodegradable, green, pet waste, poop | No Comments » After adopting our Puppy, Jupiter, I started researching poop bags. As I see it, there are many poop-disposal options:

• Non-biodegradable plastic bags – $$ – These will sit in a landfill forever. Well, not forever, but a very, very long time (500-1,000 years)
• Transport to toilet – $ – The greenest and best way to dispose of doggie waste. It ends up being processed the same as human waste.
• Transport to compost pile – $$ – Very green, but more expensive than toilet-disposal since you have to have a composting system
• Transport to garbage/other – $ – Inexpensive, but not as green as you think, since pet waste is one of the top pollutants in our waterways
• Biodegradable bags (non-ASTM D-6400) – $$$ – These bags bio-degrade over time, given the right conditions (light, heat, moisture, etc.) There is some suspicion that non-conforming bags are actually the same as the non-biodegradable plastic bags, but misleadingly labeled biodegradable. However, most landfills are designed to prevent decomposition, so it is likely that these will just sit in the landfill for a very long time. On the bright side, these will not release methane or CO2 until they decompose.
• Biodegradable bags (ASTM D-6400 conforming) – $$$$ – In order to conform to the standard, the bags should decompose at the rate of an apple. They release methane and other gases that can be harvested, but very few landfills are equipped for methane recapture.

I thought about flaming poop in a bag as a disposal methodology, but it did not make the cut.

Since we live in a 3rd floor apartment, we’ve decided on the non-ASTM D-6400 conforming bags to the garbage for now. It makes us feel good about ourselves, and we hope that our landfill allows for degradation and is equipped for methane recapture. We plan on a composting system when we purchase a home.

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