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Pet Waste

How Does Pet Waste Affect Stormwater?

  • Isn’t animal waste natural? Yes, but it acts as a fertilizer in water, promoting excessive plant growth than can choke waterways, increase algal blooms and harm aquatic life.
  • Animal waste also contains disease-causing bacteria that contaminate our waterways and, essentially, our drinking water sources.
  • Scooping Up the Poop: See Our Tips!

    2019 Spokesdog
  • Bag it! When going for dog walks, take a shopping bag or sandwich
    bag. When doggy makes a deposit, turn the baggie inside out over your
    hand and use it as a glove to pick up the waste.
  • Flush the pet waste down the toilet so that it will reach a sewage treatment plant.
  • If flushing down the toilet is not a viable option, put the pet waste in the trash. Never put pet waste into storm drains.
  • If you’d like to compost pet waste, dig a small trench in your yard,
    toss the waste in the trench and cover with a layer of leaves, grass
    clippings, and dirt.
  • Encourage your neighbors to provide pet waste stations for
    collection and disposal of waste. Check to see if the parks in your
    neighborhood have them.
  • Set up a “pooch patch” at your local park. A pooch patch is a pole
    surrounded by a light scattering of sand. Dog owners can introduce their
    dog to the pole upon entry to the park. Dogs will then return to the
    patch to defecate and then you can place the pet waste in special bins
    for disposal.

  • Philadelphia Spokesdog

    Check out the competition to crown Philly's 2019 Spokesdog on Twitter! With the help of our partners at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and Morris Animal Refuge, these pooches are spreading the word about watershed-friendly pet waste disposal...vote for your favorite!

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