do you know what the
perfect starting point to
living a more sustainable
life is? composting! scroll
down to learn about it.
DO's of composting
dog waste...
DON'Ts of composting
dog waste...
DON'T use composted animal waste in a food garden
DON'T use composted animal waste around areas where children play
DON'T put your animal's waste in the compost if you're aware of an illness or health condition they have pathogens
DON'Ts
DO's and DON'TS of composting dog waste...
composting ingredients
"green layer item" that provides carbon
for the microorganisms to break down
"brown layer item" that provides nitrogen
needed for waste to decompose
"red layer item"
harder and slower to compost
DON'T use composted animal waste in a food garden
DON'T use composted animal waste around areas where children play
DON'T put your animal's waste in the compost if you're aware of an illness or health condition they have pathogens
DO use composted animal waste in landscaping beds and around trees and shrubs
DO wear rubber gloves and wash hands after handling dogs or dog waste
DO let the mixture reach at least 145 degrees for several days to destroy pathogens
DO use composted animal waste in landscaping beds and around trees and shrubs
DO wear rubber gloves and wash hands after handling dogs or dog waste
DO let the mixture reach at least 145 degrees for several days to destroy pathogens
DO's
composting ingredients
"green layer item" that provides carbon
for the microorganisms to break down
"brown layer item" that provides nitrogen
needed for waste to decompose
"red layer item" harder
and slower to compost
broccoli
the stalk of the broccoli tends to take longer to decay, so cutting it into smaller chunks would make the process quicker.
apple
whole apples decay slower because of the protective peel, but the peelings and core compost quick.
twigs
sticks and twigs are compost friendly, but they take a long time to break down, so should be added in small pieces.
meat bones
cooked bones will decay in a HOT compost, they just need to be chopped smaller and cooked for a longer time.
grass
some grass is OK, but too much will add too much nitrogen and make the mixture smell bad.
plastic
only plastic that is biodegradable can be composted, but most plastics aren't and cannot be.
carrot
cooked carrots can be added to compost piles but decay slower than raw due to cellular structure changes during cooking.
eggshells
eggshells can be composted, but they need to be carefully broken into smaller fragments and cooked longer.
leaves
dead leaves are high in carbon, which helps the decay process of organisms in the mixture.
coffee grounds
a small amount of coffee grounds is beneficial for your compost, but too much can be toxic to plants.
hay
straw and hay can make an effective bottom compost layer, but need to be shredded thin if it is too coarse.
meat scraps
while meat scraps can be composted, keep the quantity small, as it's filled with lots of nitrogen.
necessities for composting dog waste
-
nitrogen materials: dog waste, green grass clippings, vegetable waste
-
carbon materials: cat litter, sawdust, straw or hay, paper, shredded newspaper, leaves
-
an outlet for steam to come out of
-
drainage hole
-
thermometer
two shovels of dog waste +
one shovel of carbon materials
+
for more information about composting your dog's waste,
go to becopets.com