Poop Power?

According to the
San Francisco Chronicle, "American dogs and cats create 10 million tons of waste a year, and no one knows where it's going."

Will Brinton, a scientist in Mount Vernon, Maine, and one of the world's leading authorities on waste reduction and composting, was quoted as saying. "Most of our pets' poop either winds up in a landfill purgatory, where it's embalmed practically forever in plastic bags, or sits on the ground until the next rainstorm washes it into the sewer where it can drift on down to rivers and beaches."

And so San Francisco has become the first city in the country to consider turning Fido's droppings into methane, which can heat homes, cook meals and generate electricity. "Poop power? Yes, it's possible to produce electricity, natural gas and even fuel from Rover's poop and other waste material,"

By the way Happy Tails composts and considers it a valuable resource for pastures. Our compost temps far exceed 150 degrees which kills all pathogens.

Green Dog Cleaning Company of Portland, Oregon is an innovative, energetic new Pet Waste Professionals company that offers a variety of services at very reasonable prices that include scooping your poop and turning it into compost!

They were even the focus of an article in Oregon Live With dogs in the city, doesn't it make more sense to compost rather than to enshrine poop in plastic bags that are not biodegradable? Don't we need to become more creative with our disposal methods? We always wonder where "away" is when we talk about throwing "away.."

United States Dept of agricultural

National Resources Conservation Services releases Dog Waste Composting Guide The average dog can produce 274 pounds of waste each year. Composting dog waste is a simple and inexpensive method for disposing of dog waste that can enhance the environment. This guide will show you how. USDA Alaska Dog waste is a safe soil additive for revegetation and landscaping when composted properly.

What is Composting?

"Composting is the controlled breakdown or degradation of organic material into a product known as humus. Dog waste composting is a natural process that requires air, water, organic matter, microbes and a little human intervention."

"REMEMBER: It takes at least 10 dogs, preferably 20, to generate enough waste to maintain a bin.

A large pile (3 to 5 foot cube) is needed to provide insulation and keep temperatures high in the piles' center. For fewer dogs you can keep a separate compost bin for dog waste and add grass clippings or other nitrogen sources to increase the volume. Treat the finished compost as you would other composted dog manure."

Happy Tails uses 4 pallets to contain the material, we rarely have to cover it because it gets hot enough without a cover. No odor, no flies, no mice etc.

Best way to collect is to add a carbon source (sawdust, chopped straw, bedding) to the dog waste as you collect it and mix it after being placed into your bin. There won't be any composting until water is added. Choose your location and bin, gather your materials and never use those non disposable plastic bags again!

Recipe

For every two shovels full of dog waste, add one shovel full of sawdust or other carbon source and mix thoroughly after each addition.

Add water in small amounts until the compost mixture is as moist as a wrung out sponge. Continue adding ingredients until the compost is two to three feet deep.

Once a bin is full, do not continue adding fresh materials. You may be surprised how quickly the contents seems to shrink, we rarely fill our 4 x 4 area.

Place a cover on the compost mixture. Microbes will begin breaking down the organic materials. As the microbes go to work, they release heat and increase the temperature of the compost pile.

Mature compost has a dark rich earthy color, it's moist, crumbly, and truly has a pleasant earthy odor. Dig in and use this valuable natural resource!