If you have a composting toilet and own a dog, you’ve probably wondered at some stage if it’s safe to put dog poo in your composting toilet and we’re here to answer that question once and for all.
Can you put dog poo in a composting toilet?
The answer to that question is that you can, but there are some considerations you need to take into account.
As dogs are carnivores there’s a good chance they will have parasites in their waste. Even though composting toilets generate enough heat to kill most pathogens, dogs can also have roundworms whose eggs won’t be killed off by the heat of a composting toilet (this is why it’s important to follow safe practices when handling humanure).
As we don’t recommend using any of the humus from a composting toilet on anything that you ingest like vegetables or herbs, if you choose to add dog poo (or cat poo) to your waste and handle it with the appropriate care, there shouldn’t be any issues.
Can I add other pets poo into a composting toilet?
If you have herbivores on your property (cows, goats, horses, etc) their droppings can safely be added to a composting toilet (although many of our customers simply add it to their backyard compost piles).
So the next time you’re picking up your doggo’s do-do’s feel free to add it to your composting toilet, but be aware of the potential for roundworm eggs, etc to be present in the final product so don’t use it anywhere near a vegetable patch or an area where people are likely to be exposed to the soil (near a kids play area for example).
Can I use a composting toilet specifically for dog poo?
Certainly! We’ve installed many composting toilets in veterinary clinics for exactly that purpose. We have a modified chute available specifically for the use of animal waste in veterinary clinic and animal shelters.
If you’re interested in finding out more, please call us on 1300 138 182.