Biodegradable Doo-bags

Years ago, I collected a series of tiny little sturdy, re-usable, nicely-designed Reisenthel and Envirosax bags for grocery shopping, etc., so I never needed another plastic bag.

But when I started dogwalking, I had to collect a bin full of plastic bags to accommodate all my dogs. I hate throwing away all those plastic bags, don't you? So a few weeks ago I wrote to a compostable plastic bag company and they sent me some samples. I can report that they (BioBags) work really well, much better than using old bags from the grocery store.
Until we advance as far as European countries which boast special dog-waste bins on the streets, or meet San Francisco's foray into using dogdoo as a Biofuel, we might as well use compostable bags. Better yet, if you're lucky enough to have a yard, you can safely compost your dog-poo at home.


When you bag dog waste and send it to the garbageman, you subject sanitation workers to the nastiest stuff in the bin. You also doom totally biodegradable stuff rich with useful nitrogen to an eternity in a landfill.

I hope to be negotiating with the composting guru at Prospect Heights' local community compost spot about dropping the dog droppings there. We would have to set up a special spot for dogpoo composting, since dog remnants need to be composted separately from other types of organic materials.

A side note: Regardless of whether I succeed in my negotiations, you can compost your other organic matter too, at Saint Marks Community Garden between Underhill and Vanderbilt: I just freeze my organic matter in old yogurt containers and take it there weekly. In the winter, they are open between 11:00-1:00 on Saturdays.