Toronto's New Dog Poop Program Kinda Stinks
Whether it's the never-ending poop or running out of bags, every dog owner has a dog doo-doo story. My story could be called "The Turds That Almost Got Away" thanks to Toronto's new dog waste pilot project.
The program consists of green bins dedicated to dog waste in a few popular Toronto parks. The aim is to keep dog waste from landfills since about a quarter of park garbage is pooch poop.
Under this new program, the bins only take paper bags with cardboard scoops provided at each park. The city wants to avoid plastic. It's hard to separate from organics, so some of your green bin waste ends up in landfills. This includes biodegradable plastic bags that don't compose in time when they reach the waste treatment plant.
The city just added a green bin to the park in my neighbourhood. I liked the idea, so I tested it out for a few days. Here's what happened.
Day 1: Ponyboy decides to poop on grass three blocks from the park. Bad dog. The scoop keeps pushing the stool farther away from me instead of spooning it up. I finally get it all with the help of a stick after about six tries. I trek back to the green bin in the park, awkwardly holding by full paper bag.
Day 2: Ponyboy poops in the park. Good dog. Again, I have a hard time scooping it up. Maybe it's in the wrist? The bag is also a bit small. Ponyboy isn't a Chihuahua and doesn't poop Chihuahua-size waste.
Day 3: Ponyboy poops in the park. He doesn't feel very well and has the runs. Poor dog. I resort to my biodegradable bags. I don't even attempt the cardboard scooper on this one.
I don't want to discount or "poo-poo" the city's efforts and, in the end, diverting some poop is better than diverting no poop from landfills, but I don't see this pilot flying. It might actually hurt all the years of "poop and scoop" indoctrination. I don't mind the inconvenience of having to walk back to the park. I normally carry Ponyboy's full biodegradable bags back to my green bin at home anyway. But, it's also impractical. It's hard to scoop, I got stinky fingers trying, and it doesn't work with runny poop. I also wonder if the cardboard scooper would hold out when it's wet outside?
Why not find some way to work with what dog owners who are already using biodegradable bags? Make them identifiable from regular plastic maybe? When I dropped off my poop-in-a-paper bag in the park, there were biodegradable bags already in the bin anyway.
If only all dogs could be like the practical and environmentally friendly Tilda. She's a British bulldog I met on a walk with Ponyboy. Tilda exclusively number twos on newspaper. Her owner puts the paper flat on the grass, Tilda does her business and the paper is thrown out. No plastic, no awkward pick-ups.
But, until all our dogs are like Tilda the city has to think of a better solution.
Comments (29)
This is a fantastic idea! It's about time. I recently became a dog owner and I feel so incredibly guilty using the black plastic bags. Sure, they are convenient from a scooping perspective. No dog poop on your hands but the bags take forever to biodegrade and I see them all over my neighbourhood streets, housing fecal matter that eventually is stepped on by a car tire thus attracting a host of flies. What a mess!
Like all new ideas, there are some areas with this pilot project that still need to be ironed out. I suggest that the City of Toronto launch a design competition (I'm an OCAD design graduate) and get some creative minds in the city to think of a user-friendly cardboard pooper-scooper design. I'd be all over that one...like a fly to...well, you know...dog poop! There are enough badly designed products out there currently making our lives miserable. Why add more? Think "user-friendly" and "biodegradable"- it just requires a bit of brain-storming and creativity.
Many European cities already have some kind of enviro-friendly program in effect with disposing of dog waste. Why are we in Toronto so reluctant to accept change, especially if it makes our city a better place to live in the long run?
Paper bags for picking up dog poop? Oh dear...
Try picking up soft poop in paper bags - yum. And they're not exactly flexible. Ever tried picking it poop in snow and ice? Paper bags will simply rip.
I like the idea of greener parks, but paper really is not the answer. I use biodegradable corn bags that are actually far better than paper when it comes to the environment - trust me, I've done my homework. They don't rip, I can fill my pockets with them when walking the dog and best all, work in all weather.
The paper bags aren't meant to be used like regular plastic bags. There's a scoop provided at the park. You scoop the crap into the bag.
It's a politically correct sign from city hall, approved by the mayor. Since we were forced to pay 5 cents per bag, against our will, of course, most retailers are now using the new biodegradable bags WHICH CONFORM WITH THE GREEN BINS.
Makes you wonder who is spying on you and your dog in the park, since the sign says 'monitored for compliance' (read the book 1984 for more on this). I'm wondering if city hall officials are actually lurking behind the bushes spying on you. If they are behind the bushes, wonder what they do there the rest of the day?
i'm sorry, but this program FAILED big time, at STANLEY PARK.
it's not a new concept, as I believe they used it as a pilot program at above mentioned park.
they never refilled the 'paper bags', and never picked up the poo .. which lead to major issues.
The city can barely remember to pick up park garbage, let alone adding another twist to the already 'complex' job they have.
Before they work on 'Managing Dog Waste' in the city, why don't they turn on the water fountains at the parks???
Here we are, trying to be good fur parents, but this, my dear, is a big BIG FAIL.
Especially if you have a larger dog.
No way in hell I'm carrying 3 cups of shit across a field, while it's falling & oozing out of the 'cardboard' thing.
Animal waste can't be properly composted anyway! At least, not the way they do it at the composting facilities that deal with the green bin contents. Now if the city were going to take the waste to a place that does anaerobic digestion, that would be a different story.
Weird timing, the Stanley Park green bin disappeared this morning.
I'm going to admit to being useless- I only noticed the sign explaining the program this morning when the bin disappeared. I had just been putting plastic bags in it.
I think we should be more concerned about all the homeless people who shat everywhere. Dirty buggers. Lets clean up them first. Dogs are cute and mans best friend. The hobos, not so much.
Like I mentioned in my post earlier, I just got a dog so I didn't notice what was happening with parks and dog waste management before. (Where is Stanley Park anyway?) That being said, just because something "failed" before does not mean we should give up, shrug our shoulders and go back to our old habits.
Onwards and forwards! We need look at ways with which we can improve this situation. Clearly there needs to be a better alternative to the existing one about disposing our dog's waste. Biodegradable corn bags are a great alternative! I use them for my food compost bin. They start to disintegrate almost immediately.
p.s. 5 cents for a plastic grocery bag is peanuts compared to the $30 that the Swiss must pay for one black garbage bag to put out on the curb on garbage day. Imagine the public outcry that would ensue here in TO if we had to pay $30 for one Glad garbage bag...waste not, want not. In other words, "wise use of one's resources, will keep one from poverty".
At least they're trying to do something with all of that crap -- a lot of cities don't even have recycling bins in parks, let alone a green bin.
So true! My thoughts exactly. These "bums" sometimes don't even go behind something for cover before the empty their bowels. At least my dog isn't stinking up the park, using all the benches, asking for your change in an aggressive manner or eating up thousands in publicly funded health care costs due to her lifestyle.
Brazilian, I assume you mean, solution? What does that entail? Bikini area waxes for the hobos? Ew, I am not sure I like your politics.
So the city that can't figure out how to properly run a hot dog stand now has its sights set on building a better pooper scooper. Toronto's become absolutely Python-esque in its lunacy.
I think it's really progressive of the City to start a pilot like this. Paper is always going to be better than plastic and I hope that we can all move in this direction at some point.
Think of all the poo that is normally collected in park garbage bins (25% of its contents), instead through the green bin, the waste is being diverted to make compost. Although the scoop will need some fine tuning, the idea is right. Let's start thinking of our 'waste' as resources with real value.
If you don't like the paper scoop (provided) try some other paper product instead...coffee cup, newspaper, tim's bag (there everywhere!) or flush it, even better. At least the City is trying to be more sustainable.
These bags are yet another waste of our tax $4's.
They are awkward, no good in the rain and excuse me-but the 'scoop' just isn't practical at all.
My dog is giant sized and the bag isn't giant-poop-friendly!!
Perhaps they should have done a bit more experimenting and talking to dog owners to meet their needs before wasting more money!!
I think we should all just follow suit and train the dogs to poop on newspaper, just like the municipal flyer I'm sure we'll all get about the 'success' of this project.
Thanks to Tilda's owner for the suggestion ;)
No, not too soon but it makes no sense. Vick wasn't convicted of poop stealing, he was nailed for dog fighting. So, in order to have fighting dogs one must have dogs which in turn create poop.
You are a loser. That is all.
I think this is a great idea! It is much more environmentally friendly than putting the waste in a plastic bag where it can sit and add to the piles of garbage.
I may have accidentally skipped over this part, so a sorry for repeating anything, but are the bags hidden somehow against the rain? The picture in "The Star" just shows the bags kind of sitting there. :p There does seem to be a door though.
I can't believe the dog who poops on newspapers, clever fellow.
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