A Cardboard Device to Scoop Dog Feces
The task of picking up dog feces with a plastic bag may be gross, but it isn’t exactly hard. In contrast, what’s hard is being aware of the damage you’re doing to the environment by placing organic waste inside a bag that’ll take hundreds of years to decompose.
Have you ever considered how many of these bags end up in landfills? Here’s an excerpt from Elizabeth Royte’s book, Garbage Land. It describes what happens to your bag full of poop after it sits in a landfill:
“Any organic compound in this top layer of the landfill– or in the transfer station or the kitchen garbage pail— is fair game for digestion by bacteria, fungi, and insects. They will use their enzymes to break the large organic compounds into fatty acids, water, and carbon dioxide.
In this phase of biodegradation, the landfill temperatures rise, and weak acid forms within the water. This process dissolves some of the minerals. When the aerobic microbes die off and oxygen is depleted, the anaerobic team takes over. The first wave of anaerobic bacteria produces enzymes called cellulases. These break organic material into smaller molecules, like sugars and the amino or fatty acids.
Next, the acetogenic bacteria ferment those products into alcohols and organic acids– including acetic, lactic, and formic acids. The third and final wave of bacteria, the methanogens, converts acetic acid and methanol into underground plumes of methane, carbon dioxide, and water. If the gases escape collection hoses and rise through layers of garbage, as they do in both old-style dumps and new, they feed potential fires and contribute to greenhouse warming.”
Fortunately for the environment, a recycled cardboard scooper has come onto the market. Continue reading for more details.
What is this cardboard device to scoop dog feces?
This new tool is called Ecopoop and was designed by a Spanish company based in Valencia. They describe it as an “ecological excrement collector.”
The device works like a clamp that picks up dog feces. However, it then transforms into a box with handles, which seals its contents. You can then dispose of it into the organic waste containers to start the process of its total decomposition.
The objective of its creators is also to raise awareness. The scooper can attach to the leash and stay there until you need it. On each side, you can read “I do it,” as a way of inviting all pet owners to collect their pet’s feces.
An ecological option to plastic cags
Ecopoop was conceived as a viable alternative to plastic bags. According to European Union regulations, we should be reducing our use of these immediately.
Among the benefits provided by this device are:
- The cardboard is biodegradable and it takes between 4 and 6 months to decompose. The plastic bags won’t degrade for at least 150 years.
- It improves the gross-out factor. Because the cardboard acts as a barrier between your hands and the poop it also decreases your eye contact with it.
A campaign of awareness about the collection of dog feces
In Spain alone, where Ecopoop came to light, there are records of about 5,400,000 dogs, according to a national dog food company. If you then think just how many there may be in the USA, (and everywhere else in the world of course), then you’ll realize how important it is to dispose of your dog excrement in the most ecologically friendly way possible.
Furthermore, it’s not just about education. Nobody likes to step on excrement in public spaces; we must be aware that it’s also a source of disease. Especially in people with weaker immune systems.
In order to help raise awareness about the importance of collecting dog feces, the creative people at Ecopoop also launched campaigns in different areas of the country.
The campaign continues to raise awareness of the importance of collecting the feces, and also of its proper disposal.
Scoop your dog’s feces
The Ecopoop device was recently presented at the International Fair of Environmental Solutions in Valencia. In addition, it’s already on sale in weekly or monthly packages of 60 to 180 units.
You can also access a video with instructions for its use on their website. With the aid of different folds, similar to origami, the utensil can be carried on the dog leash. After that, it transforms into a clamp that collects the feces, and then, in turn, a sealed box to discard.
We always welcome ecological alternatives that contribute to solving daily issues that occupy us as pet lovers. Even though this invention is really cool, you could also start a system of your own. You can make a similar device with cardboard and scissors or simply use paper bags.
Even simpler, you can go back to the good old days and simply bury the feces in the soil. Take along a small shovel for this purpose every time you walk your dog.
Regardless of the method that you use, you should collect and dispose of your dog’s feces in a way that’s environmentally friendly.