You’ve picked up the poop. Now what?
If you have a backyard and want to deal with dog waste at home rather than automatically putting every pickup in the trash, there are a few ways to do it.
Some are surprisingly easy. Some require a bit more enthusiasm for compost than the average person possesses. And yes, sometimes the trash is still the right answer.
The important bit is choosing a system designed for pet waste. Dog poop does not belong in the regular compost you use around vegetables, herbs or other edible plants. The EPA also recommends keeping both pet waste and compostable bags out of an ordinary backyard compost pile. EPA
So, pick your route.
ROUTE 1: I WANT THE EASIEST POOP BAG SETUP
Try a purpose-built hot composter
If you want a contained system without building and managing a traditional compost pile yourself, HOTBIN is one of the more practical options we found currently available in the US.
HOTBIN is an insulated hot-composting system rather than an ordinary backyard bin. Its US pet-waste guidance specifically says dog waste can be composted in the system and references ASTM D6400 bags for collecting it. HOTBIN says the unit should already be operating between 104°F and 140°F before pet waste is added, and pet waste should be mixed with other compostable material rather than added on its own. HOTBIN guidance
That makes this the easiest route if your goal is to use a bag for pickup and have a purpose-built system designed to handle the whole pet-waste job.
What does using one actually involve?
HOTBIN needs a regular supply of organic material to keep the composting process active. Food scraps and garden material provide most of the volume, with dry woody material helping maintain airflow and structure.
Once the system is running at the correct temperature, pet waste can become part of that mix.
Follow HOTBIN’s current instructions for how it wants bags and pet waste added. There is no prize for freelancing with somebody else’s composting system.
The smaller HOTBIN 100 Mini has a 26-gallon capacity and is currently sold in the US for $249. The larger HOTBIN 200 holds 52 gallons and is currently $450. Both are listed as in stock at the time of writing. HOTBIN Mini HOTBIN 200
For a normal household with a backyard, the Mini is probably the first model we’d investigate.
ROUTE 2: I WANT TO BUILD MY OWN
Welcome to the enthusiast route
You can build a dedicated dog-waste hot-composting system yourself.
This is cheaper than buying a HOTBIN, but you’re taking responsibility for creating and maintaining the composting conditions yourself.
That means paying attention to volume, moisture, airflow and temperature.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has published a detailed dog-waste composting method that gives us a good starting point for the actual composting process. USDA guide
Start with a dedicated bin
Choose a bin used only for your pet-waste composting system.
Place it somewhere dry and well drained, away from vegetable gardens, edible plants and water sources.
You’ll also want a compost thermometer, a garden fork and a reliable supply of dry carbon material such as untreated sawdust or dry leaves.
Get the mix right
The USDA method starts with roughly:
Two shovels of dog waste to one shovel of sawdust or another carbon-rich material.
Mix it together and add water gradually.
You're aiming for the moisture level of a wrung-out sponge. Damp, but not soaked. USDA guide
Build enough volume
This is the tricky bit for a normal one-to-five-dog household.
The original USDA system was developed around much larger volumes of dog waste and notes that large piles retain heat more effectively.
For households with fewer dogs, the USDA suggests adding other suitable nitrogen-rich material, such as grass clippings, to increase the volume of the dedicated pile. USDA guide
In other words, you don't need to acquire another fifteen dogs.
You may just need more compostable material.
Watch the heat
The centre of the pile is where the action happens.
Use a compost thermometer and monitor it regularly. When the temperature starts dropping, turn the pile with your garden fork so material from the cooler outside moves toward the hotter centre.
The USDA method relies on repeated heating and turning cycles to properly manage dog waste. USDA guide
Turning also keeps air moving through the pile and helps prevent individual materials from sitting untouched in one place.
What about the poop bags?
This is where DIY gets less predictable.
Certified bags are tested under defined certification conditions. Your backyard compost pile is not a laboratory, and temperature, moisture, volume, climate and how often you manage the pile can all vary.
Recent real-world research into certified compostable bags in outdoor dog-waste compost found substantial variation between bags and composting conditions. Research
So if you choose to include suitable certified bags in a DIY dedicated system, keep the pile properly managed and turn it as part of the normal composting process.
But we wouldn't tell you that every bag will behave identically in every backyard.
It won't.
This route is an option for people comfortable actively managing their compost, not a guaranteed formula that works the same way in every climate, bin and backyard.
Let it finish
Once your active bin is full, stop adding fresh material.
Continue managing and turning it until the pile stops reheating after turning. Then give the finished material time to cure.
Use finished dog-waste compost on non-food plants only.
Shrubs. Ornamental trees. Flower beds.
Not the tomatoes.
ROUTE 3: I WANT THE EASIEST BACKYARD CLEANUP FOR JUST POOP
Consider an in-ground pet-waste digester
If most of your cleanup happens in your own yard and you're happy to scoop the waste directly into a system without putting it into a bag first, this is considerably simpler.
An in-ground pet-waste digester operates more like a miniature septic system than a compost pile.
You install it in the yard, scoop the poop directly into it, then add water and the manufacturer's digester treatment according to the instructions.
Doggie Dooley is one established example currently available in the US.
Its smaller Model 3535 is designed for one large dog or up to two small dogs. Its larger Model 3000 and 3800X systems are designed for up to two large dogs or four small dogs. Doggie Dooley
There are a couple of catches.
Your soil needs to drain properly. Doggie Dooley says its systems aren't suitable for hard, slow-draining clay, and they aren't designed to operate when temperatures remain consistently below 40°F. Doggie Dooley FAQ
This route also isn't about composting your poop bags.
Think:
Backyard poop → scoop → digester.
If you want the bag and waste processed together, go back to Route 1 or investigate the DIY route.
ROUTE 4: WE DO A BIT OF EVERYTHING
You don't have to choose one disposal method and use it religiously forever.
Real life doesn't work like that.
Maybe you use a dedicated hot composter at home, but you're travelling for a week and use the trash.
Maybe you scoop backyard poop straight into an in-ground digester, but use bags when you're away from home.
Maybe your compost system isn't ready for another load.
Maybe your dog is sick.
Use the method that makes sense for the situation.
A mixed setup isn't doing it wrong. It's probably what a lot of normal households will end up doing.
ROUTE 5: NOPE. TOO MUCH WORK.
Trash it
Maybe you don't have enough outdoor space.
Maybe your yard isn't suitable for an in-ground system.
Maybe buying a hot composter isn't high on this month's list.
Maybe checking the temperature of dog poop is several hobbies beyond your current level of commitment.
Fair enough.
Bag the waste and put it in the trash.
Most municipal and commercial composting programs do not accept pet waste, so don't put bags of dog waste into a green bin unless your local program specifically says it accepts them.
And don't assume that a certification changes the rules of the facility receiving your waste.
It doesn't.
The right system is the one you can actually use properly.
SO WHICH ONE WOULD WE PICK?
For someone who wants to compost dog waste and suitable bags together without building a system from scratch, I'd start by looking at a HOTBIN.
It is currently available in the US, has published guidance specifically covering dog waste and ASTM D6400 bags, and creates the hot-composting environment needed to process much more than an ordinary backyard pile. HOTBIN guidance HOTBIN Mini
If spending $249+ on a dedicated composter isn't appealing and you already enjoy composting, build a managed dedicated system and accept that you'll need to pay more attention to it.
If you just want the backyard poop gone and don't care about putting the bag into the same system, an in-ground digester is easier again.
And if all of those sound ridiculous?
Route 5 is waiting.
A NOTE ABOUT OUR BAGS
First and foremost, we designed GIVE A SH!T® bags to be really good poop bags.
They’re extra thick at 18 microns, leakproof, easy to open and easy to tear from the roll. Because before anything else matters, a poop bag has one very important job to do.
Our bags also carry the TÜV Austria OK compost HOME certification as a supporting feature.
But certification doesn’t mean every compost bin, backyard setup or local composting program is automatically the right place for the bag. What happens at the end of its life still depends on where it ends up and how that system operates.
That’s exactly why we made this guide.
Important composting + disposal information
For home composting, use a dedicated pet-waste composter. Use finished compost on non-food plants, never on edibles. Most municipal and commercial composting programs do not accept pet waste, and certification does not change that. Appropriate facilities may not exist in your area. If no program accepts it, dispose of it in the trash.
Questions? support@giveasht.com
TÜV AUSTRIA OK compost HOME certified* (cert. no. TA8022206432)
TÜV AUSTRIA OK compost INDUSTRIAL certified to EN 13432 / ASTM D6400 (cert. no. TA8012509040)
Helpful Reading
USDA NRCS has the detailed dog-waste composting method behind the DIY section. USDA guide EPA has current general backyard-composting guidance, including what it recommends keeping out of an ordinary household pile. EPA HOTBIN publishes its current US pet-waste instructions here. HOTBIN guidance
THE BOTTOM LINE
Composting dog waste at home doesn't need to become a second job.
If you want the bag and poop dealt with together, use a dedicated system designed for that job.
If you like composting, build your own dedicated hot-compost setup and manage it properly.
If you just want an easy backyard solution for loose poop, use an in-ground digester.
Mix methods when real life requires it.
And when none of those makes sense, use the trash.
The point isn't doing the most complicated thing possible.
It's knowing your options and choosing one you can actually stick with.
