Going zero waste with pets is trending!!!
Having pets actually creates a significant amount of waste. In fact, a UCLA geography professor, Gregory Okin, conducted research on the environmental impact of America’s pets. Okin found that cats’ and dogs’ eating habits are responsible for dumping as many as 64 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. That’s 25 to 30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States. It’s roughly the equivalent of driving over 13 million cars!
In light of this, eco-conscious pet owners are seeking out ways to curb the carbon footprint of their pets. Many have opted for non-meat eating pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. Others who absolutely can’t imagine life without their dog or cat have taken to making dietary changes.
According to PetMD, unlike cats, dogs are omnivores and can thrive on a vegetarian diet. This has presented an array of options to eco-conscious dog owners. Hence many are making their pet food from scratch. Others are taking an alternative route and instead turning to plastic-free or low-trash pet food brands like Jiminy’s and The Farmer’s Dog.
Yet reducing your pet’s carbon footprint goes beyond dietary changes. Pet waste disposable is a huge problem. Thus, some eco-conscious dog and cat owners alike are turning to compostable poo bags. Simply using old plastic grocery bags for pet poop cleanup may be convenient. However, it’s bad for the environment resulting in more plastic in the landfills. Thus, switching to biodegradable poop bags is much better for the environment and a way to reduce your pet’s carbon footprint. Besides, that it’s easier than ever these days to find eco-friendly poo bags. There are an absurd amount of compostable, biodegradable poo bag brands currently on the market.
Chew proof and dig proofs beds have also become more popular among eco-conscious dog owners who are miserably unsuccessful at chew training. Some dogs chew everything, including their beds. So to meet this need a few companies have come up with what they claim are eco-friendly, chew proof, dig proof pet beds. Thus, rather than polluting the landfills with yet another imperishable, chomped up dog bed one such miracle bed that may be worth checking out is Cycle Dog.
Meanwhile, eco-conscious cat owners might consider using biodegradable cat litter. Composting discarded cat litter is not an option because of bacteria found in your cats’ waste that may be harmful to humans and other animals. On the other hand, litters made of plant-based products like corn and wheat will decompose in landfills, creating methane gas emissions. Also, clay litter is not biodegradable. This leaves us with one other liter alternative, pine chips. Pine chips don’t contain any harsh chemicals or synthetic perfumes. Pine chips are simply little pellets of wood that crumble when exposed to moisture (cat’s urine). They are highly absorbant, 100% biodegradable and compostable. Some brands to check out are:
- Okocat natural wood clumping cat litter
- Simply Pine
- Feline Pine
- Next Gen Pet Products Cypress Fresh litter with green tea
- Naturally Fresh
The road to having a zero waste pet may seem plagued with challenges. However, its easier than you may think with so many options at our disposal. Lucky for us our eco-consciousness can now extend to our little furry companions. They’re in this with us so they may as well do their part too.
Is going zero waste with pets trending in your part of the world? As a pet parent what zero waste habits have you adopted?
