Poop Management

This may be considered an subject for the front page link of the website, but in talking to anyone in Boulder about dogs you will eventually end up with a discussion of poop in the Open Space. Despite all the talk there is not really much of a problem, most people clean up after their own dogs. This page is a simple discussion of various issues.

Pick up Poop

A number of local companies, such as McGuckins, have sponsored biodegradable bags which are distributed in containers at trail heads in the Boulder area by volunteers. Other bags (newspaper bags or supermarket bags) are also distributed to the containers by volunteers and other concerned citizens.

Informal surveys indicate that if the bags are available, people do clean up after their dogs.

Methane Digesters

There has been a lot of discussion of methane digesters over the past few months, such as the "Park Spark" in Cambridge MA. While they would work great for a commercial kennel or a yard with multiple dogs, they have serious deficiencies when considered in a public environment. Its mainly an advertising/art installation to raise awareness.

The main problem I see is moving poop to the container. You cant have plastic in the digester, and people would certainly drop the bags in with the poop. This would eventually block the system and I cant imagine how much you would have to pay someone to clean it out.

The problem could be eased by using bags which dissolve in water, such as are used in the medical field, but the per bag cost would be prohibitive and you cant guarantee the plastic wont ever get into the container.

If you do have a lot of poop to dispose of and can keep the digester free of plastic, search for "methane digester" on YouTube and there are plenty of references, such as this pretty good example. Let us know how you get on.

Industrial Grade Poop Disposal

For cities with dog parks and a waste disposal problem there are some industrial grade options such as Envirowag Dog Waste Disposal which works with the surrounding cities.

This company processes and safely composts the poop into garden fertizers. The processes is surprizingly complex.