The minority of irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up after their pets compete with potholes for the top spot in complaints received by councils across the UK.
Unscooped dog waste isn't just an aesthetic issue, or a way to ruin a good pair of shoes: it poses a serious health risk, particularly to children under 5. Most pet dogs carry a parasite called toxocara canis. Contact with the eggs of this roundworm causes an infection that can last for months, and causes all sorts of unpleasant symptoms. Small children are both more vulnerable to the infection and more likely to pick it up - toddlers tend to fall over a lot.
Over the last few years, advances in waste disposal have meant that separated collection of dog waste for incineration is no longer mandatory. As a result, dedicated dog waste bins have been targeted by a number of local authorities by successive rounds of cost-cutting measures. The re-education process for the public, however, has generally not accompanied these reductions in service.
Where practical, Glasdon would always recommend the use of dedicated dog waste bins. While no longer compulsory, the bright red bin with 'Dog Waste Only' logo sends a strong message to dog owners and leads to higher rates of collection in the immediate area around the bin.
Dog waste bins are ideal for areas where large amounts of dog walkers gather - beaches, for example, or parks - but no local authority can afford to blanket their borough with them. The perception remains in much of the populace that disposing of bagged dog waste in a general litter bin is just as dangerous as leaving it on the pavement.
To help encourage mixed use of litter bins, we have developed a variant of the recognisable Bin-it™ Symbol that clearly marks a bin as being suitable for litter or bagged dog waste. We hope that the logo will become as universal as the standard Bin-it and help to reassure the general public that disposing of your pet's waste in a litter bin is the responsible thing to do.
To learn more about Glasdon's market-leading range of outdoor litter bins, dog waste bins, indoor litter bins or litter collection products, use the links in the navigation bar above. Alternatively, you can contact us or use the new Live Chat facility on this website to speak about your requirements.
