Better way to fight pet waste problem

Everyone seems to agree that there is a problem and there are simple ways to address the problem....Everyone That Is Except The Clowns At City Hall!

April 12, 2007

Existing "poop and scoop" rules are evidently working so well in Toronto that pet waste has become the biggest single component of litter, by weight, dropped in park garbage bins. This waste, mostly produced by dogs, totals between 1,200 and 1,400 tonnes each year. And it represents an increasingly troublesome disposal burden for the city.

However, one proposed solution threatens to cause a bigger mess than it solves. A recent report by city staff raised the possibility of banning animal droppings from park garbage containers and requiring people to carry pet waste home to their own green bin or toilet.

Many residents rightly question the practicality of this approach. A far better way to proceed would be to make green bins more widely available in the city's 1,500 parks. In addition, other bins specifically for pet waste should be installed in areas particularly popular with dog walkers.

Cities as diverse as San Francisco and nearby Pickering have deployed special dog waste collection stations. And even Toronto has experimented by placing green bins especially for pet droppings in four local parks. Unless that pilot program reveals some drastic problem with moving ahead, similar bins should be installed in parks across the city.

The existing practice of putting animal waste into ordinary park garbage cans actually contravenes a rule that lists animal droppings as a material to be kept out of garbage trucked for disposal to a Michigan landfill. Taking this waste out of regular garbage would also go a long way in helping the parks department meet its waste diversion and recycling goals. That is why it was originally suggested that residents take dog droppings home.

But this would be a problem for Toronto's many condominium and apartment dwellers who are not served by the city's green bin program. It also would impose huge inconvenience on all responsible pet owners.

Rather than carrying a bag of pet waste for much of their walk or on errands with their dog, some residents would likely stop collecting their animal's waste, leaving it to soil the city's parks. Or they would continue tossing it in garbage cans, at risk of a fine. That's no solution.

A better alternative would be to provide more green bins in parks. Toronto's existing green bin program has little capacity for expansion, so a diversion service for pet waste might require using a private-sector operator. If that proves too expensive, the issue should be put on hold until the city's in-house capacity is expanded. Either step would be better than expecting residents to take their pet droppings home.

Animal waste should be diverted from the regular garbage stream. There is no dispute about that. But city officials must bear in mind that making the right thing easier to do – not harder – is the best way to inspire people to take socially responsible action.