eco-friendly dog waste bags?

[asktriplets]

just wondering what all of you dog owners use to pick up and throw away dog poop...

we have a dog who poops twice a day. I have been using plastic store bags (looping it over my hand so it is doubled and picking it up by hand). I know they sell bags for this, but I hate the idea of BUYING bags to throw away, although they are smaller (but probably thicker) than the store bags I'm currently using. Our dog usually poops while on walks, and with 3 kids, it's not an option to leave it in the yard when he does poop there.

any suggestions on how to use less plastic?
thanks!

 

[disykat]

We have a small dog. I make everyone save baggies that just have crumbs in them (like from sandwiches or muffins.) That way I get a second use out of baggies that would have just been thrown away anyway. We use those on walks. In our yard, it gets scooped and thrown into the "back forty" where we don't worry about it and it eventually biodegrades.

 

[Imzadi]

I have the same problem. I like getting shopping bags from the store instead of bringing my own "green" cloth bag. I hate going to the health food store, particularly, where they act like I'm committing the biggest crime in the world, not bringing in my own bag.

I recycle the plastic bags to scoop and dump kitty litter. That stuff can't be flushed. Someone told me about bio-degradable diaper baggies. I haven't found any yet. -- I haven't looked too hard for them either.

I think the whole "bring your own cloth bag" fad will end as the cloth bags get worn out, get holes, fray, etc., and they end up clogging up landfills. (I saw that happen when "recycling" was the fad back in the '80s, instead of being "green." ) This time, a manufacturer will finally come up with eco-friendly, bio-degradable plastic grocery bags to replace the non-bio-degradable plastic ones out now.

 

[Deb Quen of Colorado]

we use the bags the newspaper comes in.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I use paper lunch bags for the kitty poop & pee, then take the bag to a large trash can that I have in the yard.

For the dog walks, I also use the plastic supermarket bags.

I know there are bio-degradeable bags out there, but I have yet to buy them.

 

[princess momma]

I buy the biodegradable bags. They're really not that expensive and I have the little dispenser that hooks onto the leash. I don't know how many times I forgot to bring a bag with me before the dispenser. I usually bring totes to the grocery store anyway, so I don't have a lot of plastic bags. When I forget my totes I ask for paper and use those for kitty litter duty.

 

[Pakey]

I have a container in the yard. When we walk, I use leftover sandwich bags.

 

[glitterkittyy]

I buy the biodegradable bags. They're really not that expensive and I have the little dispenser that hooks onto the leash. I don't know how many times I forgot to bring a bag with me before the dispenser. I usually bring totes to the grocery store anyway, so I don't have a lot of plastic bags. When I forget my totes I ask for paper and use those for kitty litter duty.

This is what I do. The little dispenser is so convenient.

Also, the reusable bags at the grocery store really hold the items so much better, and they sit up straight in the trunk. It took awhile for me to get used to bringing them with me, but I don't forget them anymore. Target here in FL even gives you a credit for using the reusable bags (5 cents, but still!).

 

[NotUrsula]

Brown paper sacks. They rot away in the landfill and burn easily without giving off petroleum fumes. I just drop it in the first dumpster I pass.

 

[robinb]

I buy the biodegradable bags. They're really not that expensive and I have the little dispenser that hooks onto the leash. I don't know how many times I forgot to bring a bag with me before the dispenser.

We buy the "Bags on Board" brand of dog poop bags. The say they are biodegradable, but if you think about it little is biodegradable in an anaerobic environment like a a landfill anyway. But ... I figure it's better than regular plastic bags.

My friend used to buy flushable dog poop bags for her dog before he died. She said they held up fine for picking up the poop but would disintegrate in water and by flushing the poop would be treated along with all the human poop.

 

[Jockaroo]

What bags you use depends on the size of your dog. My neighbors with the German Shepard and the labs, etc. always tote their poo in plastic grocery bags. I have a dog that weighs under 25 pounds. I use the Simply Out! waste bags:
http://www.simplyout.com/

I found some waste bags on clearance that were awful! These were the "ruffin' it" pet waste bags. They are certified biodegradable, but they disintegrate as soon as the waste is picked up. They are so thin that you can not unfold them from the roll with out ripping. I found that I needed to use 4 to 5 of these bags to pick up after my dog. And forget about carrying one of these bags on a long walk.

It is eco-friendly to reuse the bags that you already have. You can try biodegradable pet waste bags, but these may not meet your need. The bag needs to contain the waste--not leave a trail of poo down the street as you walk. (And yes, I have had to retrace my steps to do multiple cleanups with those awful bags.)

 

[clutter]

Great topic. I've been needing to search out biodegradable bags. We don't have enough baggies to re-use (although I will start doing what I can). As for grocery sacks, most of the ones I get have holes in them! I HATE not finding them until it's too late!

 

[glitterkittyy]

My friend used to buy flushable dog poop bags for her dog before he died. She said they held up fine for picking up the poop but would disintegrate in water and by flushing the poop would be treated along with all the human poop.

Just don't walk your dog in the rain!

 

[bumbershoot]

My friend used to buy flushable dog poop bags for her dog before he died. She said they held up fine for picking up the poop but would disintegrate in water and by flushing the poop would be treated along with all the human poop.

Nice! Yay for not putting body waste into landfills where it will creep down into the untreated water in the ground!

 

[pixiewings71]

We use old grocery bags when we clean the yard, we use the small baggies when we go for walks.

 

[MM27]

I use Mutt Mitts when I take my dog for a walk. If I'm cleaning up in my own yard I usually use a grocery bag.

 

[Pembo]

We save all the bags from the cereal boxes, the newspaper, and store bags to do our clean-up. With two dogs, I'd be a rich woman if I could figure out how to sell all the presents my dogs leave us.