Composting Pet Waste.

Even the Queen of England has to wipe her own bottom.
~ my Pap when explaining to me after a particularly rough day in grade school that regardless of a person's rank, position, wealth or popularity, everybody is human, everybody is valuable, so never let anyone make you feel less than what you are.


Since my sister Kelly's boxer Kayla joined the family, we talk about poop a lot. I am not sure if it is because when we were kids our mom scolded us for saying poop, stating, "It's called a bowel movement." What kid says "bowel movement"? I actually think that's worse than saying "poop". At least poop is fun to say. Twenty years after the fact, "poop" can still bring all of us to laughter which while juvenile and confusing for our significant others, it's good to remember that everybody poops. And sweet lil Kayla seems to do it more than the rest of us. Kayla has some digestive issues, so everybody is somewhat interested in her poops–how much, how often, what color, what consistency. As long as we keep her on her special diet, and she doesn't binge eat grass or acorns, the color and consistency doesn't come up too much. But the amount and frequency do come up a lot because Kayla is a little, or big depending on how you look at it, poop factory. I have been researching different ways to compost Kayla's poop, and so far this is what I have found.

Pet waste from carnivorous or omnivorous pets such as dogs and cats, can contain harmful bacteria to humans and other animals. Pet feces and droppings can contain Salmonella, e. Coli, Giardias, Parvovirus, Cryptosporidiosis, Campylobacteriosis, Toxoplasmosis and also parasites such as tapeworms and heartworms. The EPA has even categorized dog waste as a "non-point source of pollution". So if you are taking your dog for a walk, and the exercise gets the bowels moving, it is not only courteous to bag up your dog's poop, but it's healthier for everyone. These pathogens and parasites are why it is strongly advised that you do not compost pet waste in with your regular compost. The pathogens can even harm the beneficial microorganisms in a compost pile, and cause your compost pile to go cold which slows the decomposition process to a halt.

While you can't compost pet waste in your regular compost pile, pet waste certainly decomposes. To compost it, you just need to create the right and safe conditions for it. From what I am learning, basically you need, a large hole in well draining soil away from any food garden, a plastic trash can or barrel, and some enzymes that can handle sewage, such as Septo-Bac or other septic starters, available at most supermarkets or home improvement centers.

CityFarmer.org discussed the subject of Pet Waste Composting, and offers some a step-by-step instructions on how to build your own "dog dooley". Now if you have a large dog, the Big Dog Poop Composter, which works along the same principles, seems to be a better option. There are also commercial pet waste digesters available such as, Pet Waste Composter and Doggie Dooley.

It seems that once the pet waste is composted and aged between 18-24 months, that it can be used just like you would normal compost except it is recommended that it only be used in non-food gardens. I'd probably play it safe and wait like 5 years before I used it unless a test kit exists that could test for presence of pathogens. I may be a worry wort, but I wouldn't want to inadvertently contaminate the soil that other wildlife and children may come in contact with.

While most of the information I have found is about composting dog waste, it is certainly possible to compost cat waste if an eco-friendly bio-degradable litter is used. Precautions exist regarding pregnant women composting cat litter, but I think pregnant women are supposed to avoid handling cat litter in general.

What I haven't been able to find out yet is how to choose a location for the pet waste composter so that it doesn't adversely affect ground water sources. Anybody have experience with composting pet waste? Please share if you do.