You see this face?
That's the face of the No. 1 plastic bag consumer in my household.
It belongs to Pierogi, my chonky Dachshund mix with googly eyes and punctual bowel movements. Every day at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., and 9 p.m., my boyfriend or I walk her outside so she can take a steamy dump on the grass next to our apartment building. Sometimes, when we go on our daily walk, she'll squeeze out a slightly squishier afterthought-turd that didn't make it out in one of her regularly scheduled deposits. (Reddit assures me this is very(opens in a new tab) normal(opens in a new tab) for most dogs(opens in a new tab).) She's beauty and she's grace!
Per pet waste guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(opens in a new tab), regulations(opens in a new tab) in the county where we live (which aim to prevent the spread of parasites(opens in a new tab) and curb local rat(opens in a new tab) populations), and basic pet owner etiquette, we doody-fully pick up and throw away Pierogi's craps using plastic dog poop bags. That adds up to about three to four bags a day, or up to 28 a week — a little over a whole roll. It's frustrating, because we otherwise try to avoid single-use plastics whenever possible: Not only do they take generations to decompose, but the fossil fuel-dependent plastic industry at large carries a huge carbon emissions load.
Yet single-use plastic dog poop bags are so widely and cheaply available, they're usually our only option at most pet and convenience stores. The other 63.4 million(opens in a new tab) or so dog-owning households in the U.S. presumably face the same conundrum, which leads to a lot of plastic poop bags being sent to landfills, where their anaerobically decomposing contents spurt huge amounts of methane — a powerful greenhouse gas. (To put things in perspective: Each of the close to 77 million(opens in a new tab) pet dogs around the country produces an average of 274 pounds of poop(opens in a new tab) a year, which leaves us with 10.5 million tons of dog poop to throw away annually.)
What's the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of dog poop?
Reusing plastic grocery bags for dog crap cleanup is one alternative to dedicated poop bags, though you're still putting plastic in a landfill at the end of the day. A piece of cardboard or newspaper could also work, but only if you're brave and/or not in a hurry. Personally, there have been a few instances where I've used two pieces of bark mulch to wrangle Pierogi's turds when we ran out of poop bags on a walk, but I wouldn't recommend it unless your reflexes are really good.
Fortunately, another option has emerged in recent years: the biodegradable dog poop bag.
Which dog poop bags are actually biodegradable?
There are two things every dog owner should be aware of when shopping for biodegradable poop bags, the first being their price: They tend to be far more expensive than the plastic variety. For comparison's sake, a 60-count box of our favorite biodegradable poop bags made by Doggy Do Good(opens in a new tab) will run you $11.99 (about 20 cents a bag), while a pack of 900 AmazonBasics(opens in a new tab) non-biodegradable polyethylene plastic poop bags with a dispenser costs a mere $19.65 (about 2 cents a bag).
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is that not all poop bags advertised as "biodegradable" are. (The Federal Trade Commission(opens in a new tab) defines a "biodegradable" product as one that will "completely break down into its natural components within one year after customary disposal.") Many are actually oxo-biodegradable, which basically means they're made out of a plastic mixed with additives(opens in a new tab) called prodegradant catalysts — usually metal salts — that help them break down into teensy microplastics(opens in a new tab). They'll never decompose completely, just get smaller and smaller until they're invisible to the naked eye.
Not all poop bags advertised as "biodegradable" are.
As HuffPost(opens in a new tab) reported, this greenwashing of oxo-biodegradable bags has gotten the industry in trouble before: In 2015, the FTC sent letters(opens in a new tab) to notify 20 dog poop bag manufacturers that "their biodegradable and compostable claims may be deceptive."
The easiest way to tell if a biodegradable poop bag claim is legit is if it meets the standards of ASTM D6400(opens in a new tab), the U.S. biodegradation test specification for materials that are capable of being broken down by microorganisms with zero microplastic remnants — i.e., composted. (ASTM D6954(opens in a new tab) is the standard for oxo-biodegradable materials.) ASTM D6400-compliant bags are typically made out of plant-based materials like cornstarch, tapioca, and soy protein, and they have a shelf life of one to three years if kept away from UV light.
It should be noted that a truly biodegradable poop bag with an ASTM D6400 label requires very specific conditions(opens in a new tab) to decompose all the way — namely, the rare municipal composting facility that can handle pet waste. A landfill won't do (it won't get enough oxygen), and neither will a home composting setup — it'll never get hot enough to eliminate pathogens(opens in a new tab) in the poop. (Many municipalities prohibit the composting of pet feces to begin with — mine does(opens in a new tab).) In other words, even if your poop bags can technically decompose, they most likely won't get a chance to do so.
Still, almost anything's better than the single-use plastic alternative (especially when you factor in the manufacturing process and its impact on the environment).
Related Video: Pet fostering, adoption is skyrocketing during the coronavirus pandemic
What are the best biodegradable dog poop bags?
In the hours we spent poring over Amazon reviews to hunt down the best biodegradable poop bags out there, we looked specifically for bags that met ASTM D6400 standards (whenever possible) and evaluated them based on several criteria, including design, thickness, and whether their packaging was just as eco-friendly as the bags themselves.
Below, you'll find our top picks:
