The U.S. 

Denali National Park in Alaska has been composting dog waste from its kennel since 1980! The resulting compost (“jam packed with nutrients”) is used to beautify local flowerbeds and gardens. “By composting our dogs’ waste, we are being resourceful and sustainable.”

The town of Gilbert, Arizona teamed up with Arizona State University to implement a dog waste biodigestion trial at Cosmo Dog Park. (This project was inspired by Park Spark, a temporary interactive art installation at Pacific Street Park in Cambridge, Massachusetts that used methane from biodigested dog waste to light a park lamp.)

In 2016 Potrero’s Star King Open Space kicked off a first-of-its-kind system in San Francisco for composting dog waste designed to demonstrate how 32 million pounds of waste from an estimated 120,000 dogs could be diverted from the local landfill each year.  Complications with regulations and end processing prevented this program from initiating operations.

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California law prohibits the sale of a plastic bag or plastic food or beverage container that is labeled as “biodegradable,” “degradable,” “decomposable,” or as otherwise specified, eliminating dog waste pick-up bag marketing fraud.

In 2015 pet owners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed could apply for funds to purchase dog waste recycling systems that will divert waste and improve water quality. “In extreme cases, 68 percent of bacterial pollution in the Severn River watershed has been recorded as coming from pet waste. And 87 percent of bacterial pollution in the Magothy River’s Forked Creek tributary has been traced back to pets.”

Boulder Open Spaces and Mountain Parks is now working with Pet Scoop and EnviroWagg to collect and compost dog waste at 17 of its most accessible hiking trail heads. EnviroWagg began Boulder OSPMP in 2014 with a pilot program at three trail heads.

EnviroWagg composts dog waste from many Front Range pet businesses plus off-leash parks in the City of Boulder, Boulder Mountain Parks and Open Space. Lafayette, Louisville and Superior. 

Hillsboro County completed an extensive study including surveys and focus groups in an effort to learn more about stoop and scoop practices, concluding that more research is needed regarding diversion from landfills.

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The University of Florida ISF Extension has posted instructions on safely home-composting dog waste, best practices and use of finished compost.

Rockville encourages owners to flush their pet waste down the toilet. Please don’t follow the advice re flushing cat waste.  Do not flush cat litter near natural water sources where runoff can pollute. Pathogens in cat waste are destructive to aquatic wildlife. 

 Park Spark was a temporary  installation at Pacific Dog Park in Cambridge that attracted widespread attention when it was initiated by Matthew Mazzotti in 2010.  This compelling project transformed dog waste into energy (methane) through a publicly fed methane digester that  fuelled a gaslight.

Nantucket accepts un-bagged pet waste as part of its community composting program (see Compostable Waste C.)

The Joplin Recycling Center gave residents instructions on making a dog waste digester from a plastic garbage can or bucket and lid at their demonstrations in honor of America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, 2016. Dog waste digesters benefit homeowners, neighbors and the environment because they prevent rainwater from washing the waste and bacteria into storm drains and polluting waterways.

A 2009 pilot partnership between dog owners and a compost company in Ithaca, N.Y. completed a large-scale composting of waste collected at the city’s dog park. The multi-year project produced safe compost which was donated for municipal use.  See the Ithaca video.

The Williamsburg East River State Park in Brooklyn tested the feasibility of on-site dog waste composting using scoopers and cedar bins. The site, now named  Marsha P. Johnson State Park, has successfully operated the program for six years. See a webinar featuring the update.

Battery Park City’s zero waste initiatives includes a program that composts waste for the park’s three dog runs using two retrofitted Earth Cubes manufactured by Green Mountain Technologies. The city is now using the compost to enrich landscape. Check out the news on the BPCA program expansion.

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Trainer Myles Stubblefield, owner of K-9 Vision in Tonawanda vermicomposts his canine clients’ waste.

Pet Poo Skiddoo in Asheville not only provides dog waste pick-up services, the company composts all of it using Earth Cubes. Pet Poo Skiddoo also collects and repurposes cat poo with compostable litter. See their My Cat’s Gone Green video which includes useful instructions on using pelletized wood litter.

In an effort to mitigate dog waste from trails, The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County trialed simple in-ground septic stations to recycle dog waste at Stateline Woods Preserve. Ultimately, any bags do not work with septic systems. Using scoopers is the best approach.

Thanks to Windham Solid Waste Management District, Brattleboro and other communities served by WSWMD, can participate in Project COW (Community Organic Waste, which composts soiled paper and cardboard, food scraps, pet waste, and yard/garden waste. 

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Waterbury Dog Park inspired Warren and Morristown dog parks to tackle dog poo composting. 

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