Are you throwing out your pet’s waste the wrong way?

Barrie residents urging pet owners to dispose pet waste properly after shocking photos circulate online.

Do you know how to properly dispose your pet’s waste? Your dog’s business is actually greener than you may think.

Since May of last year, pet waste, plant-based kitty litter, and small animal bedding has been accepted in the city’s green bin program.

Residents can chuck pet waste into the organics bin, but only if it’s placed in certified compostable bags. Plastic bags that are labelled “biodegradable” or “degradable” are actually not accepted since they are known to contaminate the composting process.

What’s allowed in the green bin?

According to the city’s website:

• Dog waste
• Small animal bedding
• Plant-based kitty litter made from wood shavings, pellets, wheat, corn, paper, or grass seed

Traditional clay kitty litter is not allowed in your organics bin.

Lining your bin

Residents have the option to line their green bins with certified compostable bags, paper bags, newspaper, or even cereal and cracker boxes.

Here’s a helpful tip: If you don’t have the following bags, disposable coffee cups and paper leaf bags will do the trick. The city says to look for these two certified compostable logos when purchasing your liners.

Not everyone follows the rules. An area near Harwood Drive to Firman Drive in Barrie shows an example of where pet waste was disposed of poorly.

By using certified compostable bags, people can keep Barrie’s organics program running in tip-top shape and turn gross, smelly waste into something surprisingly helpful for the environment.