Umm… hello there, meatball here! Hope you and you’re pups are all doing good out there!
You may have read my blog entry about my parents’ journey to Borneo that inspired some of our new products. Well, with this entry, I want to tell you more details about our Zoorenity poop bags which are 100% compostable!
People are finally realizing just how out of control the use of plastics has become. Now it’s up to you to not just clean up after your pet, but make better choices to help clean up our world.
While researching the idea to make compostable poop bags, we learned a lot about our poop problem, plastic’s impact on our world and the overall abundance of waste we all make.
Pet waste is considered an environmental contaminant, therefore most cities recommend using plastic bags which are then thrown in the trash. However, when cities like Seattle produce approximately 50,000lbs of pet waste every day, that’s a lot of plastic!
Because not all pet owners regularly test their dogs' poop, there are some of us out there running around with parasites, like worms. Gross, I know… The worry is that unless composted in a facility specifically designed to keep a high enough temperature to kill any parasites and their eggs, that they could be passed on to humans in regular, garden composting.
To combat this inability, now, there are businesses designed specifically for this, but not every city offers it. Because of this, most places still recommend poop goes in the regular garbage.
However, we also learned there is a big problem with the way garbage is handled in our modern world too.
In an effort to make landfills more sanitary, they came up with the idea of enclosing all of our garbage inside of a giant plastic barrier and cover the layers of trash with dirt each day, in order to further contain it.
While this solves one problem it creates another because the whole thing is then put in an anaerobic state (meaning lack of oxygen) which makes it hard for any organic matter to break down. This leads to garbage lingering- which of course, also includes poop bags- even compostable ones… and the poop inside it.
Someone (pretty short sided in my opinion), decided that because they didn’t want to confuse people about composting practices- and because the bags will take a long time to break down anyway- that they would just recommend people use plastic to pick up the poop, throw it in the trash and feel good that you didn’t leave it on the sidewalk.
While I do agree you shouldn’t leave it on the sidewalk (even if we go there, sometimes you gotta go, when you gotta go…), we still don’t want it left there either.
It’s a very complicated problem.
After all this research and thinking about what to do with all our poop, we still agree it’s better to use something that will break down- rather than plastic- even when tossed in the trash. Yes, it will take longer to break down than in a true compost fashion, but at least it isn’t leaving the world with more plastic.
The world is only now starting to realize the crazy amounts of microplastics out there.
Did you know that even bottled water from the store has tested positive for microplastics (in the water, not because of the bottle)?
Then, in the ocean, they had originally thought it was only a surface water problem, but now have been finding that fish and organisms from the deepest depths of the ocean have a large concentration of microplastics as well?!
While those landfills may be burying and "containing" all that plastic for our lifetimes, someday, someone- and some things- are going to be impacted by it.
Now to confuse things even more, some businesses started adding a compound or bacteria to their plastic bags, to make them break down into microplastics even faster… giving the illusion of being biodegradable- and labeling them as so… What the crap, right?!…
The difference is that Zoorenity bags don't contain plastic at all! They are actually made from corn- which i can get behind! They do good in the situation- just not in my mouth (I pick them out of my food...I am named MEATball after all heh!).
So be sure if you aren’t already buying our bags, to research very carefully and make sure they really are biodegradable- and not just degradable causing more plastic problems.
Thankfully, there are countries starting to ban single use plastics.
Because of the cheap production and convenience of plastics though, I think we’re still a way off from that globally -especially when we look at the problems in places like Borneo or in our own trash cans.
Our Zoorenity compostable bags are certified to meet ASTM D6400 standards- meaning ALL components of the bags- including the vegetable based ink for the awesome illustration of Little Mouse- are compostable!
These compostable pet bags will biodegrade into carbon dioxide and water within 1 year after they are buried in the soil (with microorganisms) and certain humidity.
So, if you’re interested in home composting, they will break down, but it is not recommended you use in the vegetable garden- only for shrubs and decorative plants.
There are lots of interesting home composting ideas out there on the internet if you’re interested in going down that route.
One day Dad and I will do a DIY project about it and make something a little more sophisticated than our current compost hole in our backyard- also know as the "poop pile".
If home composting doesn't work for you, or don’t have a facility near you that will take it, nonetheless, feel proud that with our bags you’re making the world a little cleaner for both today and tomorrow.
On a final note, I want to let you know, their amazing qualities do not stop there!
Probably one of the most important things is that they also work really well for their intended use. Not only are they durable, but they are easy to open. And while the cornstarch can stretch a little, it doesn’t easy break- so, you don’t have to worry about being a dirty dog with a mess on your hands.
Dad and I like to go hiking and he’s happy to report as well, there have been no big messes in his backpack! And I have put it to the test....
I like to wait to go until we're just far enough from the truck that turning back would be silly.- and yet it's many miles until we return...but they hold up for miles on the trails without tearing.
Also, a portion of all the proceeds goes towards helping Motley Zoo Animal Rescue!
Other than the fact that they have Little Mouse on the bag and box instead of me, they’re pretty awesome!
But I want to know what you think about them. Have you tried? If not, you should- and then let me know what you think!
Until next time, keep on waggin'!
-Meatball