A few weeks ago, we highlighted composting. So, uh, this week it’s back to composting, but instead of composting food we eat, it’s composting things that sometimes dogs eat….bleech! Upon further reading, the suggestion involves not really composing all animal feces, but more specifically, pet dog feces. We were relieved the posting did not delve into trying to compost all animals, such as rabbits or giraffes, or bear feces. If we did, not only would we remove an important part of animal tracking, but we would be inclined to reply ‘Yes, so we should compost it!’ when someone asks us if a bear feces in the woods.

To help you ‘Compost animal feces’, here’s a simple(?) 2-step process:

1. If your family member is a canine, pick up your pet’s poop
2. Follow USDA guidelines or use a Doggie Dooley.

Your Future Dog’s Self will appreciate the effort to bring back nutrients in the ground without mussing the sidewalks and yards or filling up the trash can with its waste. Your future you will also appreciate the effort to keep the bottom of everyone’s future shoes a little more tidy.

P.S. - It’s been reported that Corporate Housing helps Compost Animal Feces by just helping dog owners live in larger spaces and providing amenities for our guests that mimic how they live back home. While it’s not currently tracked how many corporate housing guests have Doggie Dooley buried in their backyard, our industry likes to innovate, so maybe Corporate Housing providers can lead the charge and provide ‘pet-poop composting’ to our list of furnished housing amenities. I could see this happening because we also don’t track how many of our guests own bears. 

This series is focused on Simple Sustainable Actions - based on Stephane Omsanski’s article in Parade from 2021.

https://parade.com/1300935/stephanieosmanski/ways-reduce-carbon-emissions/

30. Compost animal feces.

Dog poop (and other pet feces) are technically compostable, but they need to be taken care of the right way in order to dispose of them in a greenway. You never want to compost any feces with any food; that would be cross-contaminating. There are two main ways to compost dog poo: First, you can use the Doggie Dooley, an in-ground waste disposal system that gets buried underground. Throw the waste in there and it's relatively low maintenance. Second, you can try DIY composting. If you choose that option, check out these guidelines from the USDA.