We’ve all seen them…lurking…peeping out from the leaves, loitering on gateposts or clinging to barbed wire: the greater spotted, abandoned poo bag. This sinister species is becoming more common, seen everywhere from busy urban parks to absolute-middle-of-nowhere-ancient-rights-of-way. The saying goes that you’re never more than 3 feet away from one… or maybe that was rats in cities 😉 but you catch my drift.
So what’s up? Why are folk decorating the landscape with these dystopian ‘baubles’?
I’ve spent many a countryside wander pondering this exact question, and more... Why on earth are people bagging them to just leave them to last forever in the hedge? How did they get that one so high? That one must have been left by a shot-put champion! Did they just forget them? How can you miss a bright, neon bag on the way back to the car?
Honestly, I think, and I hope that the majority of these ‘decorations’ have been genuinely forgotten by someone intending to pick them up on the way home. Perhaps others have been hoodwinked by 'zero-waste' marketing and think that their ‘degradable’ bag will actually melt away into nature and everything will be left smelling of roses. And of course, as with everything in life, there will be some who throw them and leave them for the fun of it.
Let’s bust a couple of myths and then you can get back to your cuppa and leave the mystery of the hedge-dwelling-poo-bag 'til your next dog walk.
* Firstly, no bags should be left in nature – not even certified compostable ones. Why not? Well, 90% of ‘eco’ bags are actually made of plastic and will take hundreds of years to break down and may create microplastics, to boot. Certified compostable bags are tested to break down, naturally, in a composting environment – that is warm, moist, lovely and steamy and surrounded by other organic matter, not hanging in the hedge or left on the path. It’s a bit like the infamous banana skins on Ben Nevis – yes, they are biodegradable, and no, they are not going to biodegrade up there!
* Secondly (bad news for the stick-n-flick-ers), yes, it is best to pick up and bag it. Dog poop contains pathogens that can harm human health (and be catastrophic to cattle). They also alter the soil, changing the environment and disrupting the species that live there. Lastly, they can contain medications and pesticides (think wormers) that can harm the biodiversity on your walk. There’re 12 million dogs in the UK (and 9 million cats!) and that’s a lot of poop, so always pick up.
* Lastly, as we all know, it’s just not that bad. Carrying a bag of poop with you is just part of owning a dog. It’s bagged and safe, it’s not going to overwhelm you with vicious vapours or make a bid for freedom as you walk (maybe don’t swing it too much – you know who you are!). As sustainable goals go, this is low hanging fruit... don't leave it in the tree!
So there you go. Are we any closer to solving the mystery of the feral poo bag? Perhaps not…but it made me feel a bit better 😊
Image by Miroslav Gecovic
