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American dogs and cats create 10 million tons of waste a year, and no one knows where it's going, Will Brinton, a scientist in Mount Vernon, Maine, and one of the world's leading authorities on waste reduction and composting, was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle as saying.
Most of our pets' poop either winds up in a landfill purgatory, where it's embalmed practically forever in plastic bags, or sits on the ground until the next rainstorm washes it into the sewer where it can drift on down to rivers and beaches. You can compost the poop-just don't use it with your vegetable garden, because the compost doesn't heat up enough to kill pathogens such as E. coli., which could contaminate your homegrown produce and land up in your (very unhappy) belly.If you have room in your backyard, you can bury an old garbage bin (note: far away from your vegetable garden) to use as a pet-waste composter. Or check out the Doggie Dooley, which can be paired with the maker's enzymatic "Super Digester Concentrate." NatureMill, the manufacturers of automated indoor composters, has also started hawking a pet-friendly model, though the company recommends you leave it outside.
If you're looking for plastic-free pooper-scoopers for your pups, try biodegradable pet-waste bags made out of corn, from companies such as BioBag and Oops I Pooped. You can also get your mitts on a Skooperbox, a patented box form made from 100 percent recycled materials and is completely biodegradable.
Difficulty level: Moderate
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