Dog Poo Power in San Francisco
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02.21.06
In my part of San Fancisco, dogs and strollers tyrannize the sidewalks equally, so I thought the dog and baby/toddler populations had to be similarly healthy. I did not know that the city's animals produce nearly as much waste as tykes, however. Apparently, at 6,500 tons per year, animal droppings are nipping at the heals of disposable diaper tonage. Not for long. The Associated Press tells us:
Within the next few months, Norcal Waste, a garbage hauling company that collects San Francisco's trash, will begin a pilot program under which it will use biodegradable bags and dog-waste carts to pick up droppings at a popular dog park.The droppings will be tossed into a contraption called a methane digester, which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on feces for weeks to create methane gas.
The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, heater, turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to generate electricity.
We'll keep you posted on this one. Via the Associated Press at Yahoo! News :: S.F. Examines Power of Dog Droppings. Reuters photo.
processing the feces of pets doesn't seem to be the only thing having been introduced in Europe some 20 years ago: how about dog owners cleaning up after their pets went potty? Little shovels or nifty, sturdy paper bags exist.
A.C.
I would really like to know how dog shit is all that enviromentally unfriendly?
sorry to be so crude about it but unlike nappies/diapers what comes from a dog wont spend the next hundred years in landfill unlike nappies/diapers
the future could be amazing!
There seem to be two main poo problems. First, owners diligently pick up after their pets and leave their bundles in plastic bags (usually they're reusing grocery bags) that end up in landfills, where they virtually never decompose. Second, when left to disintegrate on the ground, no one is quite sure what the bacteria and other components are doing to the water, etc. There's more info in this SF Chronicle article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/21/MNGUIHBUPP1.DTL&hw=dog&sn=003&sc=869
[must refrain from scat jokes here]
ok Y not?? isn't it done with elephant dung and other poo all over the place? didn't you guys have a story about poo-power in new york a while back? Y waste any poo? don't hate it because it's stinky...
Maybe if we made collecting dog poo more pleasant, more dog owners would collect their dog' s poo. I hate doing it, but I have thought of a way that would make it easer: Creating biodegradeble bags that are strapped to their bums ie like collecting horses manure. If the dog poos straight into the bag, all you have to do is remove it from the bum strap and throw it out or replace it......
Is this a great idea or what?
Pet poop is a major source of water polution in most urban areas. eColi bacteria I assume but who knows what else.
At first, when I was younger and first had a dog, I hated it. But 8 years later, I go buy the biodegradable pick up bags and use them when my dog poops in pubic (usually on a neighbors yard). Now, it is no big deal.
The only time I don't pick it up is if it is very freezing cold (think Canadian cold). You have to use your hands and, well, it is too cold.
But 99% of the time, no big deal.
when producing methane, it takes 80% of its own energy to compress itself, so hardly any value in using it for methane production for cooking or anything else.
I use a cut-off cordial container (with the handle on the side) and the bottom cut off together with a little garden spade to collect doggies' poo and put it into my council green bin - it gets shredded in the council depot with all other tree and green waste and composted (for about 6 months, turned regularly) and used as a mulch an many council parks and landscaping projects. Dog poo (carniverous) can be treated in teh same way as people poo for recycling. see http://www.weblife.org/humanure/
or www.dancingrabbit.org
I think recycling disposable diapers makes more sense as a first priority www.knowaste.com and it has already been proven effective in the UK...
Thankfully most dog owners are responsible and they do pick up after their dog’s leavings.
Now dog owners can feel even better about doing their duty. They can use FLUSHADOO!
FLUSHADOO is a flushable, water soluble, eco friendly, doggy doo bag. It is the modern GREEN alternative to plastic doggy doo pick up bags. It is safe for septic tanks and easy to use.
Most importantly, FLUSHADOOs stay out of landfills, oceans and helps to keep our waterways and planet clean.
Sadly, plastic doggie doo bags are both prolific and devastating. During the 1,000 years they take to decompose they leak a toxic mix of plastic particles and dog waste. Bacteria seeps into groundwater by poor dog waste practices.
Our waste is strictly treated so why should pet waste be different? Dr. Gurminder Singh of the UCLA Green Institute believes FLUSHADOO is the environmentally friendly and responsible way to dispose of dog waste.
Untreated dog waste is washed into rivers, lakes, bays and oceans by rain. Waterways are adversely affected by dog waste. Scientists have even labeled this concept "The Fido Hypothesis." Dog waste contains E. coli, Salmonella, Tuberculosis and Bellyworm.
Though the EPA is gradually requiring states to comply with the Clean Water Act, currently most dog waste sits in plastic wrapped time-bombs in landfills. In addition, over the last 50 years, every piece of plastic that has made it from our shores to the Pacific Ocean has been breaking down and accumulating in the central Pacific gyre which is now referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Be part of the POO-LUTION solution, by using FLUSHADOO on your next walk with your four legged best friend. Say NO to plastic and join the movement by using FLUSHADOO.
For more information about how you as a dog owner can help keep our planet healthy visit www.FLUSHADOO.com or call 877-DOFLUSH. FLUSHADOO helps support HEAL THE BAY (www.healthebay.org) in Santa Monica, Ca.
FLUSHADOO is a California based company.
learn more at www.FLUSHADOO.com