This article was in our local newspaper recently. It talks about dog poop bags, biodegradable ones, etc.
http://www.providencejournal.com/features/lifestyle/house/20130614-trash-tutorial-breaking-down-bagged-dog-waste.ece
Q. I’m wondering about dog poop. I always pick up my
dog’s waste in a plastic bag and put it in my trash barrel, but then I
started thinking, how silly to wrap something that is entirely
biodegradable in something that is entirely not! So, I’ve been using
biodegradable dog poop bags that you can purchase at the pet store. But
recently, I was told that nothing that goes into the landfill, whether
it’s contained in plastic or not, can biodegrade. So now I’m confused!
Please help me figure out what my most “green” option is.
Thank you!
A: Everything disposed of in the landfill will break
down (biodegrade) eventually. While manufacturers of biodegradable bags
tout their products as a green alternative, consumers should view this
claim from an informed perspective. Sanitary landfills, such as the
Central Landfill in Johnston, are designed and engineered to seal their
contents once active filling areas are permanently closed, robbing them
of air and water. Items in a sealed landfill will break down, but
because there is a lack of air, the breaking down process takes a very
long time — much longer than a standard composting process where air,
water and a proper mix of “browns” and “greens” exists.
Biodegradable
bags break down faster than standard plastic bags. However, in a
sanitary landfill, it’s a question of years, not months or days. Some
biodegradable/compostable product manufacturers are now labeling
packaging with the optimum conditions in which their product will break
down. Merely saying a product is “compostable” or “biodegradable” is
misleading to the public.
Plastic bags made with additives to
encourage faster breaking down are still essentially plastic. Plastics
are a contaminant to the finished compost product if that product is
being used as a soil amendment. The bottom line for pet waste is if you
are sending the waste-filled bag to the Central Landfill, go ahead and
use the standard bags you get from the supermarket, pharmacy or big-box
store. They will eventually break down. If you feel strongly about
shaving a few months off the break-down time for the bags, by all means
purchase the specialty bio-bags.
Sarah Kite, director of
recycling services at Rhode Island Resource Recovery, answers questions
posed by readers about recycling, municipal composting, hazardous
household waste, waste reduction and related matters. Send your
questions to Trash Tutorial, Features Department, The Providence
Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902. You can also e-mail your
question to features@providencejournal.com. Put “Trash Tutorial” in the subject.