Having a furry friend is great. You have someone to walk, cuddle, and play fetch with. But your dog can make quite the mess when it goes to the bathroom, which might leave you wondering whether you can flush your dog’s poop down the toilet.
It’s generally safe to flush your dog’s poop down the toilet, but before you do, you need to check that you’re hooked up to the city sewage system and that they have the right equipment to handle it. If you have a septic tank, it’s not safe, and you should trash it instead.
There are several things to consider before you try flushing your dog’s poop. Let’s look at the details and other possible environmentally friendly solutions for cleaning up after your dog.
Is It Safe to Flush Your Dog’s Poop Down the Toilet?
While flushing your dog’s poop down the toilet won’t harm you or the next user of the toilet, there are a few things you need to consider before you give it a try.
A dog’s poop contains different pathogens and organisms than a human’s poop, most notably roundworm eggs and TaxocaraCanis, both of which must be filtered from the sewage using special equipment.
Not all waste facilities have this equipment, so you need to check with them before you flush your dog’s poop into the system, or you may risk exposing others to the pathogens in your dog’s excrement.
Additionally, if you’re using a septic tank, it’s very bad to flush your dog’s poop down the toilet as it typically contains things your septic system isn’t prepared to handle, such as grass and rawhide. These items can clog your septic tank and leave you with a messy, gross problem down the line.
Do note that you should never flush cat poop down the toilet since it’s contaminated with microorganisms that your system is not equipped to handle, as well as litter, which can clog your plumbing system.
Is Dog Poop Good for Your Soil?
There is a common misconception that dog excrement is good for the soil in your yard. Unfortunately, this is just a myth, and you aren’t doing anyone any favors by leaving it there.
The problem is that it doesn’t get hot enough in most locations to break down all of the bacteria in dog poop and turn it into compost. Therefore, when you leave dog poop on the soil, you’re just leaving bacteria to breed rather than helping the plants in the soil grow.
Is Dog Poop Compostable?
Dog poop is compostable, but you should never throw it in a compost bin and expect it to turn into compost. As mentioned above, these bins rarely get hot enough to actually compost the poop.
Rather, if you truly want to compost your dog’s excrement, you need to use a waste digester (on Amazon) to turn your dog’s poop into soil. This is a special product that you purchase and bury in the ground. You’ll also need enzymes in order to use it.
But if you’re committed to saving the environment, it’s a great option for composting your furry friend’s number twos.
What Are the Best Ways to Dispose of Your Dog’s Waste?
Now that you know the do’s and don’ts regarding cleaning up after your dog, it’s time to discuss what you should do when cleaning up after your dog.
Pick It Up and Trash It
The best way to clean up after your dog is to pick it up with a scooper (on Amazon) or another reusable device and dump the waste in the trash using a non-plastic bag. This is environmentally friendly (well, more so than using a plastic bag) and doesn’t require as much work.
You don’t want to put the waste directly in your trash bin, though, so remember to always use a biodegradable bag, like these ones from Greener Walker (on Amazon).
Flush It
If you live connected to the city sewer (and not a septic tank), then feel free to flush your dog’s poop. The best way to do so is by using flushable bags (on Amazon) to pick up your dog’s poop.
These flushable bags dissolve soon after they are flushed and are a great option for the environment and your cleanliness.
Compost It
Composting is a great option as well, but you now know that putting it in the compost bin doesn’t really count as composting your dog’s poop. As we mentioned above, you’ll need to purchase a waste digester or start a worm farm.
Worms are capable of turning your dog’s poop into compost; however, this compost is only safe for use on non-edible plants, so you will likely need to find something to do with the extra compost you’ll make as you can’t use it for your garden.
The Final Word
Overall, it’s safe to flush your dog’s poop down the toilet if your house is hooked up to the city sewer, just make sure you do your research first. If chasing down the city waste employees doesn’t sound like fun to you, then consider an alternative yet still environmentally friendly way of discarding your dog’s poop.