Although my husband, Barry, and i had had successful careers in London, Barry as an advertising account director at top advertising agencies such as Bartle Bogle and Hegarty and myself as an theatrical agent and later running my own dance school and theatre school, neither of us had the knowledge or expertise to manufacture a product. hold the poo in the hand you throw the ball with running the risk of a poo spillage (don’t even think about it). First, there’s a much higher concentration of dogs than wild animals in the U.S. With over 48 million dogs nationwide, each making one-to-three deposits per day, that’s a lot of poop. Whether you live in a population-dense city or a small town, unbagged dog poop is a major source of water pollution. Every time it rains or snows, abandoned dog poop is washed into the storm drains, contaminating local waterways. Part of this new life involved getting a dog for a family pet. As pet owners yourself you will know that along with all the good things a dog can bring to a family they also bring a lot of crap (and I mean that literally). More than half of local authorities reported “an increase in both unbagged dog poo left on the ground and bagged dog poo, for example left hanging from railings or trees” since the start of 2021, in a recent survey by Keep Britain Tidy.

Dog mess is the most unacceptable and offensive type of litter on our streets. Our research tells us that dog fouling is the issue the public are most concerned about. Oyster shells are sustainable - don't rely on GMOs, deforestation, competition with human food production or chemicals (e.g. fertilisers, pesticides, etc) or fossil fuel guzzling machinery Almost all dog owners will talk about the joy dogs bring to their lives. Not only the companionship and intelligent company that dogs offer, but also the pleasure of daily dog walks. As you exercise your dog (see our favourite dog ball throwers here), you are keeping yourself fit too and there is a huge pleasure in walking familiar routes as well as discovering new places together. Being a responsible dog owner In towns and in some areas of the countryside along trails that are often used by dog owners, there are bins which are there specifically for any bagged dog poo to be put in. If possible, using biodegradable bags to scoop up your dog's business, all the better because using them is far better for the environment.

Foxes in the Scottish Highlands eat an 'unprecedented' amount of dog poo

So let's say you don't or can't compost your dog's poo at home and like everyone else in the UK, your local council doesn't collect dog poo for industrial composting...

Comprehensive dog poo data is fairly thin on the ground, making it difficult to monitor trends with much precision. There is a growing consensus that problem is getting worse again, however. There’s not a one-size-fits-all for training, and a dog’s needs will vary depending on a number of factors. There has never been a better time to go green. Honestly priced dog poo bags designed and made, by dog owners for dog owners. And it’s not just the tourists – who everyone seems to blame – but the locals as well as I’m finding them in residential areas too,” Ms Beaumont says. Bags of poo collected by Hannah Beaumont on one of her walks (Photo: Hannah Beaumont)The law states that being unaware a dog has fouled or not having a suitable bag is not a reasonable excuse. So I’m testing out the best dog poo bags to try to spread the word to more dog owners to be more considerate, to think about other footpath/park and countryside users – and to clean up properly after their dogs. Idris the lurcher is ready for his big moment – testing dog poo bags. The best dog poo bag needs to have three basic qualities. Why recycled plastic? The manufacture of recycled plastic requires less energy and produces fewer carbon emissions compared to compostable plastic. It also reduces the amount of plastic ending up in the open environment, landfill or incineration by capturing and re-using it.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the problem was becoming worse again given the huge increase in the number of dogs – and, more importantly, the large numbers of ‘new’ dog owners,” he said. So what happens to compostable or biodegradable plastic in landfill? We were horrified to learn that not only would they potentially take years (possibly centuries) to breakdown in landfill, they would also produce methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. When we spoke with Dr Carly Fletcher, a Bioplastics researcher from Manchester Metropolitan University, Dr Fletcher advised the difference between plastic and compostable/biodegradable plastic in incineration was likely negligible. However we found one study showing PBAT (the main ingredient in compostable and biodegradable poo bags) releases significantly more carcinogens than standard plastic when incinerated. So what are the options, considering the above? There has never been a better time to go green. Honestly priced dog waste bags designed and made, by dog owners for dog owners.

The Family

Of course, there are always trade-offs. Ours being that our bags not biodegradable. But equally, this means they won't produce methane in landfill and many studies have shown that compostable and biodegradable plastics don't biodegrade in the open environment (or even compost) either! What's more, unlike compostable and biodegradable poo bags that use precious food crops to make new plastic, our renewable content is from oyster shell waste, which is a far more sustainable material than corn-starch (or other food crops).

It’s just crazy, the amount I’m finding, it’s everywhere. Particularly on one footpath through a wood where sometimes every step you take there is a poo bag, just thrown into a hedge, on a tree or just on the floor,” she says. When it comes to shrinking your dog’s carbon paw print, keep in mind that not all products with a green label are alike. Some dog poop bags are made of “oxo-biodegradable” plastic, which means they’ve been treated with metal salts to help speed up their breakdown in landfills. A step up from conventional plastic, oxo-biodegradable bags turn into small fragments, or “micro-plastics” which will unfortunately remain in the environment. After considering the above, we decided to make our poo bags from 20% oyster shell waste, 50% recycled plastic and up to 30% virgin plastic. So instead of making new plastic that contributes to landfill or incineration, we re-use waste (plastic and oyster shells) that was already destined to end up there. In this way, they do genuinely free up landfill space and reduce waste going to incineration overall. Our bags are recyclable, however due to the contents, sadly they cannot be placed in recycling and are intended for general waste! Why 30% virgin plastic? We use just 25-30% virgin fossil-fuel derived plastic, unlike biodegradable and compostable poo bags that use up to 80%. Our manufacturer has experimented with 100% recycled bags but found that this adversely affected the strength and quality of the bags. So for now, we need this 30%. But as technology changes we may be able to offer 100% oyster shell and recycled plastic bags in the future! The problem with scaling up is who pays, with few councils keen to foot the bill. J Retinger, PooPrints’ CEO, argues that since pet licensing was abolished, a wider debate on the cost of man’s ever-increasing numbers of best friends is needed. “Communities have to start thinking about the impact of the pet population on our budgets: how are those costs being made up?”Consider where your daily walks take you. If you and your dog rarely venture beyond your neighborhood, flushable bags are a great choice. For longer hikes, choose scented bags that prevent odors from seeping out during all-day adventures. If you're throwing your dog waste and poo bags into general waste, then ReSEAcled poo bags are the bags for you. How we got it wrong