In the news: responsible pet waste disposal

Last week The Oregonian ran an excellent article by the pet columnist, Jacques Von Lunen, about responsible pet waste disposal. I was glad to see his recommendation meshed with the one we've espoused in the past: pick it up and put it in the garbage. Don't flush it down the toilet (at least here in the Portland area) because our sewage system cannot handle the waste of a million pets. It will end up in the river on rainy days, and the treatment plant is not designed to break down pet waste, which has a different make-up than human waste. Bag it up, and throw it away.

Concerned about the plastic bag ban eliminating your source of doggie bags? (Oh, certainly not this community of reusable bag carriers!) Reuse bread and newspaper bags (I'm happy to give you mine!), and don't waste your money on 'bio-degradable' pet poop bags. It's a greenwash. Anything designed to biodegrade in a landfill is releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

As for pet waste composters or burying pet waste in the yard, I'm hesitant to offer any info because I just don't feel like I know enough. Couldn't it leach into the groundwater? Dog and cat waste is full of harmful bacteria. I've tried researching this in the past, but there just seems to be so many conflicting opinions. Makes me glad to be pet-less. Any experience with this, readers?