Environmental Impact

Wayward dog poo is a significant problem across the globe. Just in the U.S. there are approximately 83 million dogs, with roughly 66% of households currently owning a dog. These U.S. dogs produce 10.6 million tons of poop per day, or 3.8 billion tons per year! And that’s just in the U.S.!

60% of dog owners responsibly clean up after their dog, but others do not for a myriad of reasons, leading to pollution of the environment as well as health risk to humans and other animals via bacteria from fecal runoff that makes it way into our wastewater and then into our nearby watersheds and rivers.

When it rains, wayward dog poo flows as untreated raw sewage from storm drains directly into local streams, lakes, etc. Dog poo contains two types of pollutants that harm local waters - nutrients that fed algae and weeds and pathogens that can cause severe illness in humans as well as other living things in the water.

Picking up dog poop will help keep nearby waters clean, and in turn a healthier community and ecosystem.

Carbon Impact of Dog Poop

Decomposing dog poop emits on the order of 10 pounds of methane (CH₄) per dog per year, which has as much global warming power as 300 pounds of CO₂, which is about as much as is emitted on a 400-mile drive in a gas-powered mini-SUV.

As dog poop decomposes, microbes break down carbon-based (organic) solids into carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). Both carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gases, but a pound of methane absorbs 30 times more heat over its lifetime than a pound of carbon dioxide.

A lot of cities and communities still recommend throwing away dog poop in the garbage, as they are not equipped to compost dog waste properly... yet. The landfill is the safest place for dog poo right now, as it prevents the contaminants from leeching into nearby soil and water. Even if those gases will end up in the atmosphere eventually.

But there is hope on the horizon with Professional Pet Waste Station Services and Dog Waste Disposal and Composting Systems. Even dedicated dog poop bins can make it easier to dispose of it properly for composting or even converted into energy usage.

ScoopUp promises to be looking at these solutions to hep tackle the carbon impact problem.