Vancouver dog waste removal urged by city resident

A Vancouver resident is urging the city to install special garbage bins for dog waste to keep it from ending up in landfills.

Raymond Greenwood says now that the city has made a push to divert food waste, it's time to start thinking about dog doo.

"What's the difference when there's about one hundred and ten pounds of dog waste in our landfills every day?"

According to the David Suzuki Foundation, conditions in landfills prevent dog waste from decomposing. The waste can also lead to water contamination and methane gas production.

Greenwood said he's been a dog owner for 27 years and has seen dog waste programs take off in London, England and Auckland, New Zealand.

In Metro Vancouver, a dog waste diversion program is already in place at Pacific Spirit Park, which gets over 360,000 dog visits a year. The waste is collected in special red bins.

Vancouver's head of waste management Albert Shamess said the city has examined the program, but it's not likely to be expanded.

"Right the now each bag is cut open and disposed in the sanitary sewer, so each bag has to be opened and I'm not sure that's a long-term sustainable model," said Shamess.

Shamess says for now the city's priority for dog poop is for owners to pick it up off the ground, not to keep out of the landfill.