The Problem
As an avid hiker with dogs I venture into some pretty remote areas every weekend. Over the last few seasons I have noticed people bagging up their dog poop and leaving it in bushes, trees or simply on the trail. It’s like they are decorating a Christmas tree, with little blue bags of feces. I’m sure that hikers who carefully bag their dog mess have the best intentions but some of the worst events in history happened because of the best intentions. I call them plain dumb because throwing a plastic bag on the ground is littering and failing to pick up dog poo is a separate offense….double whammy.
Unless you are in the Special Forces I completely understand that no one wants carry a large dollop of dog poo on a hike, especially if you have you PB & J sandwich in your pack too. So what to do……
First let’s explain a bit of science. Typically newspapers take two to five months to biodegrade in a compost heap, banana peels take several days. The San Diego Union Tribune takes just 5 minutes because it essentially started out as garbage.
So what happens when you leave plastic wrapped dog poo in the wilderness instead of in a trash can?
Well, bacteria, fungi, molds, protozoa, actinomycetes, and other unpronounceable organisms feed upon any decaying organic materials initially, while in the later stages of decomposition mites, millipedes, centipedes, beetles and earthworms further breakdown and enrich the composting materials. The problem lies in the fact that while dog poo is organic, plastic is not, in fact it has a half life of 500 years. So the poor micro organism can almost taste its next meal only to find it wrapped in an impenetrable plastic bag.
The most common type of plastic shopping bag is made of polyethylene, a petroleum-derived polymer that the poor microorganism can’t recognize as food and therefore cannot technically biodegrade. Petroleum typically starts life as a thick black liquid that is extracted from the ground and enriches Arab Nations, Texans and Rex Tillerson.
So What To Do?
Common sense dictates that the offending poo should be removed to a place where an unsuspecting hiker won’t step in it, but it can still be a delicious meal for the aforementioned small creatures. I am therefore taking credit for the ‘Stick and Flick’
Step One – Dog has a Number Two (usually in the middle of the trail)
Step Two – Find a suitable stick
Step Three – Flick the offending turd into the bushes out of the way.
Step Four – Kick dirt over any tiny remnants
Step Five – Pat your self on the back and continue your hike.
Rinse and Repeat