We love to get out in nature so we are all for bettering the environment.
As written in my previous post, Does a Dachshund Poo In the Woods?, I am a water quality specialist by trade and very passionate about the issue of dog poop.
One hot button issue for me is the biodegradable poop bag. I read a lot of articles touting their praises but I want to scream because there is so much misinformation out there.
First, let me say, I am a proponent of biodegradable bags. They are not a petroleum-based product and are made with renewable resources. Also, several companies that make biodegradable bags care about the environment operate in an environmentally-responsible way. That is all good for the environment in my book!
The biodegradable bag is not as sparkly as most would believe though.
Like it or not, the protection the environment has become mainstream. Companies want to capitalize on that. If they slap “earth friendly” or “biodegradable” on something it will appeal to environmentally conscious consumers and they will likely sell more bags at a higher cost (please note that may not all be due to corporate greed, some biodegradable bags DO cost more to manufacture than traditional plastic).
Manufactures will have you believe that biodegradable bags are better for the environment because they break down, or disintegrate, in the environment. This is unlike plastic bags which will remain for possibly hundreds of years.
The most accepted thing to do with your bagged dog poop (even among water quality specialists) is to throw it in the trash. Doing this keeps dog poop, and bacteria, out of our waterways. Ding….another point for the environment.
Here is where it all goes wrong.
Want to know how? Check out part 2.
Mary Hone says
May 31, 2011 at 10:03 AMI am certainly interested in reading more of the poo bag story. How was your sky to sea race? I used to race triathlons, so multi sport events are interesting to me. I’ve heard of that race too.
AdventureJess says
May 31, 2011 at 10:10 AMThe race was really good considering how out of shape I was and the fact that I was starting to come down with a cold. I mountain biked 20 miles through really muddy open meadows (with no real train), a touch of double track, some road and a killer, bumpy section between the railroad tracks (and I mean actually between the rails over the ties) in 1 hour and 48 minutes. Unfortunately, I had just handed off the timing chip to my boyfriend and as he was running down to the dock to his kayak they cancelled his leg due to high winds and boats tipping. Kind of anti-climactic I would say the least. It was still a fun day though.
The rest of this post may be coming out later today or on Thursday.
Kas says
May 31, 2011 at 2:39 PMI have always wondered about these so-called biodegradable bags … Looking forward to post 2!
According to Gus says
May 31, 2011 at 6:11 PMI know you are very passionate about this topic – looking forward to reading part two.
2browndawgs says
June 1, 2011 at 5:09 AMI look forward to part 2 also!
Happy.Bark.Days says
June 1, 2011 at 7:42 PMOh, I can be pretty skeptical when I see buzzwords that try to speak volumes of a product’s environmental-friendliness. When I come across a product of interest while shopping, I will often make a mental note of the company’s name and website so that I can do some background search online at home first. It’s surprising the amount of information that somehow goes ‘missing’ on the packaging labels… I’m definitely keen to read your views on bio-degradable poop bags!
Carol Bryant says
July 16, 2013 at 12:49 PMWell you sure got my attention on this topic. Look paw-ward to reading more!
Jessica Rhae says
July 16, 2013 at 9:23 PMThis was an older post of mine. I have already written the rest of the story. You can read it here http://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/the-myth-of-the-biodegradable-poop-bag-%E2%80%93-part-2/