Managing pet poop storage until it can be collected on trash day requires some work from the pet owner. Methods you can use to store or process the waste include using:
Plastic bags
Separate trash cans
Composting your dog's poop
Pet waste disposal systems
Baby diaper storage containers
Old dog food bags
Freezing it
These methods will help you manage the odor and control pests that may be attracted to the poop. The last thing you should do is leave it to decompose naturally or flush it into a septic or sewage system.
What To Do With Dog Poop Until Garbage Day
Let’s discuss your options on what to do with dog poop when you need to store your pet poop until trash day. The tips below offer odor-free and durable ways to store or process dog poop until garbage day comes along.
Some of these solutions require a bit of planning and regular maintenance. Others allow you to just drop the poop inside and let good bacteria and enzymes do the hard work for you, like a specialized septic system.
Use plastic bags
Your best friend when handling and storing poop is, of course, the trusty plastic bag or trash bag. You get many varieties today, including biodegradable bags and commercial dog poop bags. It’s up to you to pick your favorite when it comes to disposing of your dog poop.
Once you have picked up poop somewhere, place it in plastic trash bags. Tying the bags helps to minimize odor and the access that pests like flies have to the poop. You can even double bag your pet poop to make things safer and more odorless.
Never dispose of poop directly into garbage cans without at least a plastic grocery bag containing it.
A separate trash can
If available, you can use a separate trash can to store your dog waste. This will remove any foul odors in your regular-use bin.
If you choose a separate trash can for your dog poop bags, make sure it is located out of direct sunlight and in a cool dry place. This will help reduce odor and insect problems.
Compost your pet waste
You can compost dog waste and use it in your garden. This is the best way for a responsible dog owner to manage their dog’s poop.
As a safety precaution, you should not use compost made from dog waste on any plants you plan to eat. You should also keep the compost away from children and other animals to avoid any possible cross-contamination with pathogens in dog feces.
To compost your poop, you need to mix one part poop with two parts of carbon-rich material, like sawdust, wood chips, leaves and other organic plant matter. This helps to break down and dilute the nitrogen-rich dog poop and prevent it from damaging your garden plants.
Allow the doggy compost to reach an internal temperature of at least 135 °F for a few weeks. This is required to kill all the bad bacteria and parasites in dog feces.
Do not use any plastic trash bags in your composter for dog poop. Instead, use brown paper trash bags as they are biodegradable.
You can place the compostable mix in a specially designed doggy compost bin, or you can create your own structure in a space cleared in the garden. In a few months, your dog poop compost bin will become a free and regular source of safe garden fertilizer.
Use a pet waste disposal system
There are many commercial products available that help you manage dog waste until bin day. A popular system that has been in use since 1968 is the Doggie Dooley. It’s basically a septic tank system for dogs. It removes the need to store poop until trash day, as the system processes waste and safely releases it into the ground.
The system generally consists of a special plastic container, called a digester. This is buried underground and you can dump any dog feces inside.
You then add a special enzyme or bacterial treatment to the container, along with water. These additives break down the dog's excrement into a liquid form much quicker than it would naturally.
Over time, the liquid will seep through the container, adding nutrients to the soil below. This system requires little maintenance. You can just add more enzymes and bacteria to the unit to keep the decomposition going.
It is important not to fit this system close to any water sources or edible plants, as it will cause cross-contamination with unwanted pathogens in the dog poop.
Use a baby diaper storage container
While not purpose-made for dog poop, a diaper storage tub, like a diaper pail or Diaper Genie, is ideal for sealing away your pet waste in an airtight container until bin day.
The major problem with this is that most dogs are bigger than a baby and you may find your diaper storage facility gets full quickly. Unless you have smaller dogs, it is not the ideal way to store poop until garbage day.
Use an old dog food bag
A common way for many pet owners to deal with dog feces is to simply store their dog poop in old dog food bags until it’s time for collection once a week. These bags are made of plastic or durable paper and are generally very strong and quite weatherproof.
This simple system requires pet owners to scoop up poop into a plastic bag. You then tie the bag up and place it inside the old dog food packet. If you tie the poop bags properly and seal the food bag with a clip, there will be minimal risk of odors or pests.
Freeze it
While this may seem unconventional, freezing your dog poop is a possible solution to storing your doggy waste. Many pet owners live in areas with high humidity and struggle with the odor from old dog poop bags.
By freezing the poop in sealed bags, you will prevent odors. Naturally, a lot of precautionary hygiene practices need to be in place to successfully and safely perform this storage method. This should not be your first option.
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What Not To Do With Your Dog Poop
Let's look at four things that you should never do with your dog's poop.
1. Do not leave it to decompose naturally
Leaving poop in your backyard to decompose will contaminate your garden soil with pathogens and attract flies and pests. During rainy weather, you also risk the poo getting washed into storm drains and out to bodies of water. Here, the feces will contaminate the local ecosystem.
2. Do not flush it into your septic tank
Dog poop should never be flushed into your septic system. Your dog adds up to 219 extra pounds of excrement to your tank every year. This may negatively impact the septic system. Dog feces can also contain a lot of solids that do not get broken up in the tank and can contribute to sludge buildup and even blockages.
Many local health departments strictly prohibit flushing dog poop down your tank due to the health and safety concerns of adding pathogens from the fecal matter to the tank.
3. Do not flush it down the toilet
There are three reasons to not flush dog poop:
You can contaminate your bathroom with pathogens from dog poop.
There are environmental concerns as the dog poop can contaminate water in the sewage and public drinking system.
You risk plumbing issues in your toilet due to blockages that can form from solids that may be present in your dog’s poop.
4. Do not bury it
The simplest solution would be to just dig a hole and bury the poop, right?
While this seems logical, burying poop will contaminate the soil it is placed in. It is also a risk for any wildlife that may encounter the poop through natural curiosity and digging.
Additionally, it poses a risk to any animals that consume vegetation growing near the poop as pathogens can easily spread through the soil to plant roots.
If you are struggling with animal waste on your property, contact Chore-ology. We are experts in biohazard decontamination and can make your property safe and hygienic.