Free compostable poo bags for Dunedin dog walkers

The Dunedin City Council is doing its part in the war on plastic bags by offering free compostable dog poo bags.

Council manager compliance solutions Ros MacGill said with single use plastic shopping bags being phased out it was a good time to look at how people disposed of their dog poo.

"Many people use plastic shopping bags to dispose of their dog poo, but after July 1 these won’t be available so we’ve introduced this trial to encourage people to pick up their dog poo while offering a plastic alternative and reducing the environmental impact."

The compostable poo bags were made from corn starch crops.

The council had budgeted up to $25,000 for the bags, which would be covered by dog registration fees.

People could dispose of them in the rubbish or compost them at home if they want to.

"If people do compost their dog poo, they will need to use a separate system and the compost should only be applied to flower gardens, not plants that may be consumed because it can carry bacteria like campylobacter and E. coli that is transferrable to humans."

Dog owners could collect six rolls of poo bags a year from council service centres, using a card that will be sent with their registration pack.

Dog poo bag dispensers will still be available at public locations and people could continue to self-fill these with bags as they had done in the past.