My pup, Polly, became part of the family before I started on my  low waste, eco friendly journey nearly five years ago! And even though I’ve been working to reduce our household waste for years now, I still continue to struggle with zero waste dog care. There are some aspects of low waste pet care that I’m doing an excellent job at (*ahem* zero waste dog treats!) while others I’m on the hunt for the right solution for our family pup even now. I’m hoping this post will maybe help some other dog parents find solutions for sustainable pet care, but also in hunkering down and doing the research, I’d like to find some answers of my own for my sustainable pup. If you have any advice/suggestions, please do share them in the comments section of this post!  

Low Waste Dog Food Ideas

  I’ve been purchasing dog kibble in large bags from the grocery store since I very first adopted my dog Polly! Unfortunately, those bags of dog food tend to be lined with plastic and must be sent to the landfill when empty. So I usually just try to buy the largest bag I can at the store. However, I did a little crowd sourcing in the Tiny Yellow Bungalow Facebook group a few weeks back to hear what other low waste dog food ideas are out there. I have a few friends that make their own dog food from scratch. How cool! I didn’t even consider making homemade dog food as an option. If you do plan to make your own dog food at home, be sure to research before preparing it. You’ll want to make sure your dog has a well balanced diet! Check out this post The Do’s and Don’ts of Homemade Dog Food.   This post contains Amazon affiliate links.   Now, if you are like me, and don’t want to take the time to make dog food in your own kitchen, the next best option I learned about from our Facebook group is a brand called Open Farm. Apparently, this brand of pet food is super transparent about the sourcing of their non-GMO ingredients. Also, you can recycle the dog food bag through Terracycle when empty. It’s not a completely waste free option but I think it’s a great solution.   If you have any low waste dog food recommendations to share, I would love to hear about them in the comments section!  

Zero Waste Dog Poop Disposal

  Ok, what to do with the poo?! There are a few different options for pet waste disposal.  

1. Use plastic bags you already have. For example, if you purchase a loaf of bread or bag of bagels from the grocery store, they tend to come in a plastic bag. You could reuse these bags as dog poo bags.
2. Use compostable dog poop bags. There are tons of compostable dog poop bags on the market these days. Many of them are made from bioplastics. My only concern about compostable dog poop bags is that nothing composts in the landfill. The process of composting requires air (hence, turning your compost heap with a shovel or spinning your compost tumbler). Landfills tightly compact garbage together so there isn’t any circulation, meaning you are basically preserving the dog poo in the landfill. I know… pretty gross, haha!
3. Backyard Dog Poop Composter. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Doggie Dooley poo composter but maybe you could come up with a similar system of composting dog waste in your backyard. Unfortunately, you can’t compost dog poop with your regular household compost, so you’d definitely need a separate system.

 

Zero Waste Dog Treats

My dog Polly adores homemade dog treats! They’re super simple to prepare. We love to make fresh juice at our house, and I usually toss the leftover juice pulp in the compost. However, a fellow zero waster mentioned that you can use the pulp to make dog treats so I decided to try it out! Not only are they completely waste free but also vegan. Here’s the recipe I used:   3 cups leftover juice pulp (I keep leftover pulp in the freezer until I have 3 cups worth) 1 cup oats 1/2 cup peanut butter   Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together all ingredients. Roll out dough into cookie sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake treats until hard, about 15 minutes. Cool and then they are ready for your pup to enjoy!   These zero waste dog treats were so simple to make and such a fun way to use leftover juice pulp rather than just tossing it in the compost bin. I’m excited to experiment more with the recipe.   Do you have a favorite homemade dog treat recipe?   Another zero waste dog treat option is purchasing dog treats in bulk! Our local pet store has a bulk section for pet treats. We love to go there and fill up on plastic free dog treats. I take a reusable bulk bag with me to fill up, and then empty them into my own glass jar when I get home! I know this isn’t an option for everyone. On the flip side, I’ve noticed that a lot of dog treats at the grocery store come packaged in a paper box. If you purchase dog treats in a paper box, you could at the very least compost or recycle the box. This might be a good option for your pup if you don’t have bulk treats available or the time to make homemade treats from scratch.

Zero Waste Dog Toys

  To be completely honest, I don’t buy Polly a lot of dog toys. She’s a heavy chewer and will destroy just about every single toy I give her in a matter of minutes. Seriously, stuffed animals will be shredded in to tiny pieces in thirty seconds flat haha. We usually stick to large marrow filled bones because they last a long time. Yes, they do often come wrapped in plastic, but they just last so much longer in comparison to other pet toys. If you don’t have a heavy chewer, consider purchasing pet toys secondhand if you can, purchasing pet toys made of hemp. or even making your own DIY pet toys. You can take an old t-shirt and knot/braid it into the perfect tug of war toy for your dog!   My dog Polly does have a lot of energy. I feel like more important than giving her toys to play with at home, she needs plenty of exercise. We always make sure she gets a good run in with Sebastian daily. She’s less likely to get into mischief if she’s tired. Be sure to exercise your pups!