Having a canine companion in your life can be very rewarding, but it also comes with its share of responsibilities, including dealing with their doo-doo. The pet poop conundrum of balancing the environmental impacts of dog waste with convenience has many pet owners looking for the best way to dispose of their pet’s poop. So, it’s understandable that a common question that arises is whether you can flush dog poop?
Is it ok to flush dog poop down the toilet?
In short, no. Water treatment facilities aren’t designed to remove the pathogens and parasites found in dog waste, posing a risk to public health. Additionally, flushing bagged dog waste can cause issues with your plumbing, potentially causing blockages and leaving you with an expensive repair bill.
While it seems like a convenient method of disposal, if you flush dog poop down the toilet there are many potential consequences. However, some still advocate to flush dog poop, despite the evidence pointing to the contrary. So, let’s get the facts as to why flushing dog poop is better off being avoided.
Is Dog Poop a biohazard?
A biohazard is typically defined as any substance that poses a risk to human health or the environment due to its potential to contain harmful pathogens, toxins, or infectious materials.
Dog poop can pose a risk to human health as it can contain a variety of pathogens, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Giardia, as well as many harmful parasites, such as roundworm (Toxocara canis). These can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with pet waste or via contaminated surfaces, such as pet fur. Additionally, dog poop can attract disease-carrying pests, such as flies and rodents, further increasing the risk of illness and the spread of disease.
It’s safe to say dog poop is a biohazard.
Does Dog Poop Contaminate Water?
Water contamination is a serious issue that can have a significant impact on both public health and the environment. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency has listed pet waste as a nonpoint source pollutant that contributes to water quality issues.
It has been suggested that between 20-30% of the bacteria found in water samples come from dog poop. When it rains dog waste gets washed into streams, rivers, and even the ocean via runoff, polluting these bodies of water with pathogens and parasites. When these pollutants are introduced into waterways they pose a serious risk to both public health and wild animal populations.
Dog waste also contains high volumes of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen. When excess concentrations of these nutrients get into bodies of water, they encourage the growth of algae blooms. Algae blooms block sunlight and consume oxygen that is vital to underwater plant life. These blooms eventually collapse, releasing ammonia as they decompose. The lack of oxygen and increased ammonia create an uninhabitable environment, creating ‘dead zones’ and negatively impacting aquatic life.
What Happens if You Flush Dog Poop Down the Toilet?
Household wastewater either ends up in a home septic tank system or flows through to a sewer pipe that takes the wastewater to a sewage treatment facility. Water treatment plants are designed to remove contaminants, passing wastewater through several cleaning and filtering stages before the treated water can be safely released into the environment.
When you flush dog poop down the toilet it will inevitably flow through to a water treatment plant. However, many water authorities advise that animal waste should not be flushed down the toilet as treatment processes are specifically designed to deal with human waste only.
Pathogens and parasites, such as roundworms, that are found in dog waste can be tolerant to the high temperatures and processes used during water treatment and may not be removed during wastewater processing. This can lead to contaminated water being released back into rivers and streams. Once in the wider environment, these pathogens and parasites pose a public health risk, potentially exposing people to disease-causing organisms, as well as negatively impacting animals and aquatic life.
Can Flushing Dog Poop Damage Your Plumbing?
If you flush dog poop it can potentially damage your plumbing, which could be very costly. In most homes, the wastewater from baths, sinks, and toilets flows through a network of pipes to either a water treatment facility or a home septic tank system.
Some may think that if you flush dog poop into a septic tank it isn’t an issue. After all, it’s a septic tank’s job to break down waste, right? However, flushing dog poop into a septic tank can overwhelm the system, exceeding its design capacity. This can lead to a build-up of solids and increase the risk of system failure. Unlike human waste, dog poop contains high volumes of hair and ash which can prevent the septic system from functioning properly and cause blockages in drain fields.
If you have a more traditional home plumbing system, it is still not a good idea to flush dog poop. When you flush dog poop it can put a strain on home plumbing systems, especially if you’re flushing waste in dog poop bags which can further increase the risk of blockages. Dog waste bags, even those that are advertised as being flushable, can clog pipes causing backups and potentially leaving you with a hefty repair bill.
Additionally, flushing dog poop bags can impact more than just your home plumbing. When flushed into a public sewer system, dog poop bags can contribute to blockages and backups, potentially causing damages that require costly repairs. In the UK, under the Water Industry Act 1991, it is a criminal offense to release anything into a public sewer that can obstruct the free flow of wastewater. This is why water treatment facilities recommend that only the ‘Three Ps’ should be flushed, Poo, Pee, and toilet Paper. And when they say poo, they aren’t talking about pet poop.
Eco-Friendly Ways to Dispose of Dog Poop
Disposing of your pet’s poop properly is about more than just being a polite and considerate neighbour. It helps keep public spaces clean and enjoyable for everyone to use and plays a crucial role in protecting public health and the environment. To prevent the spread of harmful parasites and pathogens, it’s important that dog poop is treated with caution and disposed of properly.
Composting dog poop is considered the least impactive way of disposing of pet waste for the environment. Composting is great as it allows you to take a waste product and create your own nutrient-rich fetiliser for non-edible plants. And if you use compostable poop when out and about with your dog, you can also add those to your compost pile. However, composting isn’t necessarily convenient for everyone, especially for those that are short on space or lack time to manage it.
There are other ways you can compost dog waste, such as vermicomposting which uses worms to break down waste. Or bokashi, which technically isn’t composting but a type of fermentation that breaks down waste. However, both methods produce a nutrient-rich fertiliser. Alternatively, you can install a doggy septic tank (aka dog waste biodigester). While this method initially requires a bit of elbow grease (you will need to dig a rather large hole), once set up maintenance is minimal.
If you want to find out about more eco-friendly dog waste disposal methods, check out The Best Way to Dispose of Dog Poop.
Final Thoughts
Scooping the poop isn’t anyone’s favourite pass time, so it’s understandable that dog owners are looking for the most convenient way to deal with their pet’s waste. However, dog poop is a significant source of water pollution, contributing to high levels of bacteria and excess nutrients in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. As water treatment facilities aren’t designed to treat animal waste, when you flush dog poop down the toilet it further contributes to water contamination and potentially damages your plumbing. Also, marching dog poop through your house, bagged or not, is pretty gross.
By avoiding flushing dog poop and opting for a dog poop disposal method that’s more eco-friendly you help protect public health, and the environment, as well as save yourself from a hefty plumbing bill.