Eco-Friendly Pet Parenting: Composting Pet Waste with Bokashi Method

If you've ever felt a twinge of guilt (with frustration to match) by tossing your furry friend's poop into the trash, know that we have been right there with you.

**Enter Rose Seemann, author of The Pet Poo Pocket Guide.**

Originally, we turned to bokashi composting for a greener solution to our pet waste. That was before we realized how incredible the bokashi composting is for all our kitchen food scraps, and discovered Colorado’s own Rose Seemann who is a powerhouse of composting knowledge, particularly when it comes to some of the hardest waste to process: pet poop.

Rose’s gem of a book has been a game changer for how to handle our pet’s waste. That’s why we’re so thrilled to share "The Pet Poo Pocket Guide: How to Compost and Safely Recycle Pet Waste” is now available through our online shop.

Even better? All proceeds support the nonprofit Enviro Pet Waste Network.

**Why we’re so excited about this book:**
Whether it’s left in the yard, the dog park, or tossed in the landfill, pet waste creates some serious harm.
Particularly for our precious waterways, it is a significant factor leading to bacteria and nutrient loading in receiving water, generating harmful airborne bacteria along the way.

In 2008 Rose Seemann started EnviroWagg, an R&D project that explored the potential of large-scale dog waste composting. Working with a Colorado scooper and a professional composter, she found that dog waste could be composted into a safe soil amendment that grows bountiful plants.

When she started posting online about her project, pet stewards all over the world began asking her for sustainable solutions for their piles of dog and cat poo.

Rose (pictured here) did extensive research and found that there are many options that can be tailored to meet their needs. Pet People shared their successes and disappointments. Her book, *The Pet Poo Pocket Guide: How to Safely Compost and Recycle Pet Waste*, is the result of questions asked and lessons learned.

In 2022 Rose and an Australian associate launched a nonprofit offering ways to help manage pet waste that are kinder to the planet. The Enviro Pet Waste Network website at epwn.org provides information to help households, communities, businesses and government to reduce their pets’ carbon pawprint.

“Bacteria from fecal material—particularly, dog waste—may constitute the dominant source of airborne bacteria in (urban) wintertime air.”

— Sources of Bacteria in Outdoor Air across Cities in the Midwestern United States, Robert M. Bowers, Amy P. Sullivan, Elizabeth K. Costello, Jeff L. Collett Jr., Rob Knight, Noah Fierer, 2011.

**Pet waste is an issue, but is it really safe to compost pet poop?**

The answer is yes, with some planning. "The Pet Poo Pocket Guide" discusses the importance of following proper processing to ensure that your compost is free from harmful pathogens.

Bokashi composting is one effective method mentioned in Rose’s book that we’re proud to also recommend; with its rapid fermentation process, bokashi helps mitigate these risks, producing compost that's safe for non-edible plants.

We are so excited to see bokashi composting mentioned as a great way to compost pet waste too! Garden of Oz’s Upcycled Bokashi is for more than just kitchen scraps. It's also perfect for composting pet waste safely, effectively, and quickly.

Rose’s book gives a great overview of the process and Upcycled Bokashi provides the kickstart and conditioning needed to break down pet waste.

Dog parks might be the first place that come to mind as high density doo-doo zones. But what about the poop you scoop at home?

Safety first

"The Pet Poo Pocket Guide" provides valuable insights into which types of pet waste are suitable for composting and what types of waste may need additional planning to compost.

For instance, waste from herbivorous pets like rabbits and guinea pigs is easy. Waste from carnivores needs to be composted in a way that eliminates the inherent pathogens.

Using bokashi composting mitigates these pathogens. As for the the finished compost? If you aren’t going to send off your finished compost for lab testing (to triple check for pathogens) it’s best to use your pet waste compost only on non-edible landscaping.

And just like any well processed, finished compost, the end product will be a homogenous, earthy smelling organic matter.

Not ready to compost your pet waste just yet?

That’s ok! An easy step to reduce the impact of our furry pals is to reduce our single use plastic when picking up pet waste.

Try using:

Newspaper or kraft paper instead of plastic bags
Scoopers for backyard pick-up
Third-party certified backyard compostable bags.

Check your bags for the following minimum key certifications and icons since not all bags are created equal in their ability to safely break down in an average backyard.

Watch out for green washing in the plastic bags available for sale. “Biodegradable” is often not truly compostable.

Incorporating these sustainable waste pick-up options is an important step whether or not you’re able to compost your pet’s waste.

Ready to compost?

Take your composting game to the next level while minimizing your pet’s environmental impact, grab a copy of Rose Seemann’s book and some Upcycled Bokashi.

Check out the research below and be sure to swing by EPWN to learn even more. Interested in piloting a home pet waste composting system with Garden of Oz?

Email us at grow@gardenofozco.com and put “pilot” in the subject line. We’re looking forward to sharing more details with you.