A d.i.y dog poop composter. No more plastic bags are needed nor will your furry friend's waste end up at landfills.
First things first. It's very hard to get nice pictures of a bucket of poop, so bear with me and this blog. The idea behind it is to a) make picking up behind your pet in the backyard easier b) save on plastic bags c) keep the doggy-doo out of the landfill.
This dog waste composter is NOT to make compost suitable for the home food garden. It is not going to get hot enough to kill all the pathogens in there at all. It's just a fuss-free way to clean up after your pet and the worms will break the waste down so that the bucket doesn't fill up.
What you need
A large plastic bucket with a lid, with lots of holes drilled in the sides of the bucket and the bottom cut out.
A large handful of compost worms to get things started (I grab them out of my home compost bin or worm farm.)
Start by finding a semi-hidden spot in the garden and digging a large hole. Wide enough to fit the bucket in and as deep as you can make it. It's essentially a long drop.
If you have more than one dog, a second bucket might be a good idea if you can't dig the hole deep enough.
Once the bucket is put in the hole, pack dirt around the sides really well so when it rains it doesn't flood the hole.
Then you can start poop-a-scooping! Adding in the worms definitely speeds up the breaking down process.
Things to note:
If there are flies when you open the bucket, or you want to speed up the decomposing process, add over a layer of carbon material. E.g. dead leaves, shredded cardboard, paper, straw, hay...
If the bucket is filling with water after rain, pack the dirt around the sides extra tight.
Here is the dog-compost bin three months later. It's barely filled a quarter of the way and the worms are doing their thing!
If the bin ever does get full, it's a matter of pulling the bucket out of the soil, covering the hole, and digging a new one somewhere else.
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My book Homegrown Happiness is now available!
Chris Drenon says
why have holes in a bucket then pack tight so no water gets in?
Elien says
The packing of the dirt around the edge is to stop the hole in the ground filling up with water if there is heavy rain . The holes in the bucket itself are for the worms to crawl through.