Can You Flush Dog Poop Down the Toilet?

Having a dog as a pet is awesome, but getting rid of its poop is not the most exciting part of your friendship. There is no elegant way to dispose of canine feces, but the toilet bowl seems like a reasonable solution.

But can you flush dog poop down the toilet?

Yes, you can throw dog poop in the toilet. If your bathroom is connected to the sewer system, throwing dog poop in the toilet is okay. Households with a septic system are the only exception – they shouldn’t throw dog poop down the drains.

This topic inspires controversies, so keep reading to learn how and what to do with dog waste.

What Does EPA Say?

Before explaining different ways to dispose of dog poop, we must see what the Environmental Protection Agency says about the topic. According to EPA’s brochure on pet waste, throwing dog waste into the toilet is tolerable. 

The second preferred option is to put the dog’s waste in the trash. 

Here’s what EPA stated about flushing pet feces: The water in your toilet goes to a sewage treatment plant that removes most pollutants before the water reaches a river or stream.

In other words, dog poop can’t contaminate local streams and rivers after you flush it down the drains.

Can You Flush Dog Poop in Septic Tank?

A typical bathroom can handle dog poop adequately, but that’s not the case with septic systems. Households with septic tanks should avoid flushing dog poop into the drain.

Why is that?

A septic tank doesn’t come with a complex decontamination process like a sewer plant. It only collects human poop, while good bacteria in the septic tank kill pathogens that harm nature.

However, your puppy’s feces are full of stronger pathogens that septic tanks can’t digest. Such pollutants resist good bacteria in the septic system, so they remain hazardous.

The same process makes your tank fill quickly, while the septic system becomes prone to clogging – you’ll have to deal with toilet blockages, too.

How to Dispose of Dog Waste?

Now it’s clear when and why to throw dog poop in the toilet, but we also need to discuss different ways to dispose of canine feces. Here are the top seven solutions:

Solution 1: Flush Poop Down the Toilet

The obvious choice is to dispose of dog poop in the toilet – you can do it whenever your pooch hears nature’s call at home. Some people wear rubber gloves while doing it, while others prefer picking the waste with a poop bag.

In each case, you only need to grab poop, take it to the bathroom, and flush it in the toilet. Your dog’s waste is smaller than human feces, which makes it even easier to flush without clogging the pipes. 

Solution 2: Pick It with Flushable Poop Bags

This is the upgraded version of the first solution – the process is the same, but you can pick dog poop using a flushable poop bag. The benefit of flushable bags is that, unlike plastic items, you can throw them in the toilet along with the waste.

They quickly decompose in the sewer, which makes them convenient for dog owners who care about the environment. The good thing is that flushable poop bags have become the trend, so you can order them online 24/7.

Solution 3: Use a Waste Digester

A pet waste digester is a small container that breaks down organic material. Its purpose is to turn dog poop into sewage sludge or soil. Here’s how it works:

• Dig a little hole and bury the waste digester in the yard
• Whenever you collect dog feces, take it to the container
• Open the lid and throw poop in the digester
• Once a week, pour enzymes and water to dissolve poop

The process is simple and eco-friendly, and it doesn’t take too much time to complete. 

Solution 4: Utilize Poop for Composting

Another solution is to use poop for composting, AKA a form of natural garbage disposal. In this process, organic material like dog poop and food scraps decompose into a soil-like mixture called compost.

This basically means you can compost dog poop and utilize it as a fertilizer. Composting is eco-friendly and doesn’t require additional investments – all it takes is to invest some time and work. If you have kids, they’ll join you, too!

Solution 5: Try Outdoor Flushing

One of the simplest methods to get rid of dog poop is outdoor flushing. As the name suggests, it’s a separate toilet line that you can connect to the sewer. That way, your pooch’s feces will go directly to the sewer.

You can teach your best friend to poop in the outdoor toilet or nearby, so your only job is to scoop the waste and throw it down the drain. Remember that this solution is not suitable for septic systems – only direct sewer lines will fit.

Solution 6: Make a Worm Farm

Perhaps this sounds too adventurous, but creating a worm farm is a great way to solve the dog’s poop disposal problem. In case you have a yard, you can dig a small hole and put earthworms in it.

After that, it’s all about feeding worms with dog poop and other organic materials. Another interesting detail about earthworms is that they end up making compost – you can use it to fertilize the soil.

Keep in mind that this type of compost is not good for edible products, so you can use it only for flowers and similar plants.

Solution 7: Use Biodegradable Poop Bags

Unlike plastic bags, biodegradable poop holders are excellent nature protectors. Biodegradable poop bags are solid and leak-proof, but it doesn’t stop them from decomposing.

All you need to do is replace your average plastic bags with biodegradable items. Everything else remains the same – you scoop dog waste and throw it away. A landfill is still its destination, but you know the bag will eventually decompose.

Differences Between Human and Dog Poop

Are there any differences between human and dog poop? There are many distinctions, but we will point out two significant features:

Time to Decompose

Human feces take a full year to dissolve, while canine poop only takes nine weeks. However, canine feces can cause a lot of damage in such a short period because they harm nature and our health.

Dangerous Pathogens

Both poop types are dangerous and unhealthy, but dog feces are even more hazardous. The fecal coliform bacteria, an extremely dangerous life form, causes various illnesses like kidney disorders, cramps, and diarrhea.

The Bottom Line

Dog poop is eco-unfriendly and even dangerous for human health, but you are free to flush it down the toilet. A local sewer plant will eliminate hazardous components and make poop clean enough for natural decomposition.

Households with septic systems are the only exception because their tanks cannot digest canine feces. In this case, avoid flushing dog poop and choose a different disposal method.

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