The Full Scoop on How to Compost Dog Poop

Nobody likes dog poop, but – alas – it is a natural and normal part of having a four-legged member of the family.

Dog poop is not just an eyesore, and an inconvenience, it can be hazardous to your garden and to the environment.

Contrary to popular opinion not all poop is created equal. Unlike other forms of animal waste, such as cow or sheep manure, which is often considered to be a positive addition to the soil, pet waste is not fertilize. At least not yet.

That’s because dog poop is comprised of undigested food such as carbohydrates, fibre, proteins, and fats. In fact, domestic dogs tend to enjoy a diet that is remarkably high in protein as most dog foods are made from beef, chicken, lamb, or pork products.

This is all passed along with a wide range of bacteria that are needed for your dog’s digestive process. None of these things are good for your typical lawn or garden.  In fact, the highly acidic pet waste is so bad for your grass that it can leave your back yard looking like something the cat dragged in.

Something Stinks in Your Garden

One gram of dog waste can contain up to 23 million fecal coliform bacteria. Multiply this by the average of 340 grams a dog will poop every single day, that’s a LOT of fecal coliform bacteria just laying around in your back yard.

Fecal coliform bacteria can contaminate our waterways and cause illnesses in humans. Dog poop is a significant host of bacteria that is harmful to humans. And it can take up to a year for those piles of poop to fully break down on their own.

Pet waste may not be the largest or most toxic pollutant in our urban waterways, but it is one of the many little things that can add up to a big problem. Fortunately, there are some simple things we can all do to keep our water clean.

But, let’s face it, dog poop also smells bad. Because of this, we tend to avoid dealing with it, or – in the worst case – hold our breath as we bag it up and toss in in the garbage.

But this is not the best solution because that only sends your dog’s poop to the local landfill, contributing to an ongoing problem of waste accumulation.

And, before you think to yourself “it’s just a little bit of dog poop!” keep in mind that one medium sized dog produces about 180 kilograms of poop in a single year.

Turning Dog Poop into Power Food for Your Plants

One simple solution to the dog poop dilemma is to compost your dog’s poop.

Rather than becoming a pollutant, dog poop can be turned into a nutrient for your garden with a Bokashi pet waste compost system.

In order to do turn an otherwise stinky mess into something that your flowers will love, the dog poop needs to be composted to kill off the unwanted bacteria and break down the undigested food elements.

The composting process – which takes about 3 weeks – takes all the bad parts out of the dog poop and leaves behind the beneficial parts that can provide a source of nutrients to your garden’s soil.

The My Good Green™ Pet Compost Kit is a simple and easy way to turn dog poop into nutrient-rich soil for your ornamental gardens, trees, and shrubs.

That way, rather than bagging it up, tossing it out, and filling up our landfills, your dog’s daily duties be converted into a positive force for the environment and your garden.

4 Steps to Compost Dog Poop Using Bokashi

The process for composting your four-legged-fur-baby’s poop into a useful soil additive is fairly simple. All you need is a compost bucket, some Bokashi bran, a small shovel, and a bit of time and patience.

Step 1 – Scoop & Dump

Before you get started, layer the bottom of your Pet Compost Bucket with a handful of Bokashi Plus compost accelerator. Then scope your dog’s poop the way you normally would and place it on the bucket. Do not, however, put the pet waste bags into the bucket.

Step 2 – Sprinkle & Cover

Once you’ve got a complete layer of dog poop (usually about 4 – 8 poops, depending on the size of your dog), sprinkle enough Bokashi Plus compost accelerator to cover the surface of the dog poop.

Step 3 – Ferment & Bury

When the bucket is full, close it up and let it do it’s work for 10 days. When it’s done fermenting, bury the entire contents of the bucket in your garden and leave it for 2-4 weeks.

Step 4 – Mix & Grow

You can now add the new soil to your garden or scatter it around trees or shrubs. This nutrient rich compost will boost the vitality of the surrounding soil.

It really is THAT simple.

Standard Composting Doesn’t Work for Dog Poop

Unfortunately, you can’t just chuck Fido’s poop into your backyard compost bin.

Because of all the parasites and bacteria that dog poop can contain, the compost system needs to get up to 165°F for at least five days to kill them all. Most traditional compost piles fall just short of that temperature goal, so you can’t be sure that it everything that needs to be neutralized has been neutralized.

However, the microbes in Bokashi help break down toxins, inhibit pathogens, and kill fecal coliforms. The resulting composted pet waste is pest-free and full of nutrients. And that is a good thing.

Your Dog and Your Garden Will Thank You

Composting your pet’s poop does not just help your garden, your yard, and the environment, it’s also good for your dog.

As cute as they may be, most dogs do a terrible job of watching where they step. Regular scooping can help keep them from walking through their own dog poop. Not only does this mean that they won’t track it into your house, it can also help protect them from parvo, trichinosis, whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, giardia, coccidia, and other troublemakers that can hide away inside their own poop.