The average dog produces 274 pounds of waste per year, and Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, estimates that roughly 236,000 dogs live in Denver. Let’s do the math … that’s 64.6 million pounds of dog poop produced by Denver’s dogs each year. Gross!
To address this load of crap, Denver Parks and Recreation, or DPR, must pilot a dog waste composting program at one of the city’s dog parks. This pilot program would ensure no poop is left behind by determining the feasibility, effectiveness and related processes to later rollout dog waste composting at DPR’s 14 dog parks.
A citywide program would not only save the bottoms of shoes, but also protect water quality, reduce methane emissions from landfills, improve soil health and develop a culture where Denverites are more likely to scoop their furry friend’s poop.
Only 60% of owners pick up after their dogs which leads to the use of more than 415 million plastic bags annually. Then, of those bags that end up in landfills, the plastic decomposition process takes anywhere between 75 to 400+ years. Not to be a party-pooper, but these bags filled with turds also contribute to methane emissions, a greenhouse gas, in landfills!
Composting dog waste will prevent Denver from further contributing to this poo-pocalypse happening at landfills. Depending on the type program implemented, waste could be shoveled or scooped into a bucket with organic material, cutting out the need for plastic bags all together. For example, a Canadian “dog run” (think small dog park) piloted a composting program which involved shoveling waste into a bucket with sawdust. This led to the diversion of more than 7,000 plastic bags over 12 months. Furthermore, composting will also help to reduce methane gas produced in landfills.
According to the Clean Water Campaign, one gram of dog poop, about the size of a paper clip, contains “an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria.” So, the dog waste that does not get scooped can have major public health implications, such as the transmission of bacteria and parasites to humans and animals as well as environmental impacts like water contamination which can affect drinking water, increase algae growth, and harm fish. And not to mention, it stinks!
Dog waste composting may seem far-fetched, but some cities and towns in Colorado developed successful pilot programs. For example, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, or OSMP, first piloted its program in 2014, and now has compostable bags and waste receptacles at 20 trailheads/access points. In 2015, the town of Superior piloted a program and, as of August, it still provides the service. Don’t stop retrieving, the city of Lafayette, in 2019 started a composting program at their Great Bark Dog Park. These programs are paws-itively amazing.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University studying dog waste disposal at OSMP found “additional trash or compost receptacles and bag dispensers along OSMP trails would make them (dog owners/respondents) more likely to follow recommended practices related to the disposal of pet waste in the future.”
Denver should be the leader of the pack, but instead in 2009 DPR cut its budget for dog waste bags. They still provide bag stations at all dog parks but require volunteers to fund and supply the bags. DPR’s 2019 Dog Park Master Plan Technical Update stated that they “may consider re-evaluating the dog bag policy in the future.” According to 311, “Dog Waste Stations are not managed by DPR.” What the fluff?
The current investment in dog parks includes some Poop-er scooper heroes in the form of Adopt-a-Dog Park volunteers! According to DPR’s program website, the “Adopt-A-Dog Park program was established to enable community groups, neighbors, individuals and businesses to help take care of their local dog parks. Adopt-A-Dog Park participants work on projects like:
removing litter, cleaning up doggie landmines left by others, reporting potential hazards,and weeding, painting, etc.” This work does deserve an “appaws,” but DPR should be providing this basic government service.
Now is the time for Denver to “paws” and reflect in order to reevaluate and take steps to improve its dog waste management system to address current community needs, public health and environmental concerns.
While there is no one-paw-fits-all approach to composting dog waste, Denver can learn from examples in Colorado, programs in other states like: Battery Park City Authority in New York, and Waterbury Unleashed Dog Park in Vermont, among others, and from environmental organizations like Enviro Pet Waste Network. Denver Parks and Recreation can adapt these programs to meet the unique and various needs of each dog park and the communities they serve.
After all, the saying goes: When life gives you dog poop, make compost!
Christina M. Noto, of Denver, is a current Master of Urban and Regional Planning student at the University of Colorado Denver.
The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy. Learn how to submit a column. Reach the opinion editor at opinion@coloradosun.com.
Follow Colorado Sun Opinion on Facebook.