Greetings, furry friend lovers! Let’s get our paws dirty and dig into a topic that’s as crucial as choosing the right chew toy or the tastiest treats. We’re talking about dog poop bags – not the most glamorous subject, but an essential one for every responsible dog owner.
After all, picking up after our pets isn’t just a courtesy – it’s a duty (or should we say doody?). Today, we’re decoding what biodegradable dog poop bags are and whether they’re as good for the environment as they claim. So, grab your leash and let’s dive into the world of doggie doo-doo disposal!
Contents
Breaking Down Biodegradable Poop Bags: Are They Pawsome?
Let’s start with a quick barkdown of what ‘biodegradable’ means. The word biodegradable describes how something breaks down, not what the material is, whether it’s organic or not, or the timeframe it breaks down in. The word biodegradable can be decoded as ‘it will break down at some point’.
Almost anything, including plastic, can be called ‘biodegradable’ because of the way it breaks down over time, even though it could take hundreds, maybe thousands of years of for plastic to break down.
For example, biodegradable dog poop bags might ‘break down’… eventually. But thats just the process of something breaking down into smaller pieces of plastic, or microplastics, which are as welcome in nature as a cat at a dog party.
The term biodegradable dog poop bags is vague – with no laws that define what we can expect when we see the word biodegradable attached to them. Biodegradable is a term marketers have hijacked to fool us into thinking something is green when they are not.
Compostable vs Biodegradable: Understanding the Difference
A game of fetch is to a dog what understanding ‘compostable’ is to eco-friendly waste disposal – essential! Unlike ‘biodegradable,’ ‘compostable’ is a term with government standards attached to it. The laws differ slightly around the world for compostability.
But here in Australia, we have some of the strictest’s regulations around compostability. For a product to be labelled compostable, it must have passed the government tests to prove it breaks down into organic matter and disappear within 180 days.
It’s crucial to note that ‘compostable’ is a subset of ‘biodegradable.’ This means every compostable dog poop bag is biodegradable, but not all biodegradable dog poop bags are compostable.
Spotting the Genuine Article: Look for Composting Logos
If you’re chasing your tail trying to find genuinely eco-friendly dog poop bags, keep an eye out for composting logos. No logos? Then it’s probably plastic in disguise. Here in Australia, the logos to look for are AS 5810 for home composting and AS 4736 for commercial composting.
Conclusion: The Poop Scoop on Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags
In the quest for responsible dog ownership and a cleaner planet, understanding the difference between biodegradable and compostable dog poop bags is as essential as knowing the difference between a terrier and a dachshund. Biodegradable might sound eco-friendly, but it’s often a term as misleading as a stick-throwing fake-out. For a truly green and guilt-free clean-up, stick to compostable bags.
After all, our four-legged friends rely on us to take care of their business – including caring for the earth they love to frolic on. At Oh Crap, we’re committed to making this ‘doody’ as eco-friendly as possible. Because when it comes to taking care of our furry friends, we believe in doing a ‘pooptacular’ job!
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