It's the question on every dog owner's mind.  "If I start bringing a reusable tote to the grocery store, what about the dog poop?"  It seems that every dog owner in the country uses plastic grocery bags for poop scooping.  Even the contemplation of seeking an alternative sends many dog owners into a tizzy.  

One wonders, what happened to all the dog poop before plastic grocery bags became the norm?  As it happens, I am old enough to remember the answer: it just kinda sat there.  Gross, right?  Gross.

Cities may have had poop scooping laws on the books, but it wasn't until fairly recently (the last 15-20 years) that they started enforcing these rules.  That timing dovetails nicely with the rise in the use of plastic grocery bags, which crept into the market in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  

It's vitally important to scoop dog poop for more than aesthetic reasons.  (Although don't get me wrong - the aesthetic reasons are pretty powerful.)  Dog poop is responsible for a huge amount of the fecal coliform count in our cities and neighborhoods.  Left unattended, dog poop washes into our water table, fouling our rivers and streams, and even threatening our home gardens.

As a significant health hazard, dog poop really does have to be scooped.  But how else can this be accomplished, without plastic grocery store bags?

1.    Other Plastic Bags
A lot of dog owners complain about having to buy special-purpose dog poop bags.  However, these bags are considerably smaller than grocery store plastic bags, and therefore represent less plastic waste and resources.  Unless you're cleaning up after a giant breed, at least 80% of the grocery store bag is wasted space.  

One down side of throwing away poop wrapped in a plastic bag - whether special purpose or grocery store - is that the poop inside the bag will never decompose.  Protected by its plastic swaddle, that turd - along with billions of others like it - will be enshrined in the landfill forever.

2.    Newspaper
I have seen a lot of sources advocate using sheets of newspaper.  This is apparently how most genteel dog walkers in big cities used to scoop their poop, back in the days before plastic grocery bags.  You can fold it over your hand, then tuck it into a tidy package and drop it in the nearest trash can.

Of course, this presumes that you have a source of newspaper on hand.  But surely supporting your local press is worth it?

3.    An Actual Scooper
I see some people walking dogs while wielding a metal or plastic pooper scooper.  I applaud their attention to detail!  Just bang out the poop when you get home.  Although this does require some kind of outdoor hose for rinsing, so it might not be appropriate for apartment dwellers.

4.    Sustainable Bags
A whole host of special poop bags is being rushed to market.  I know some dog-owning friends who have found a source of poop bags made from corn solids, which are flushable!  Just scoop the poop like you usually do, then drop it in the toilet when you get home.

As a bonus, flushing is how the EPA recommends disposing of dog poop.  When you flush it, it gets processed by the sewage system, which is a far sight better than dropping it in the trash.

Photo credit: Flickr/Michael Patrick