Of the 108,000 pounds of waste collected from parks and public spaces in Boulder, Colo., each year, 85 percent is dog droppings. Currently, most of that poop (a lot of it individually wrapped in plastic bags) winds up in a landfill, costing the city roughly $5,000 per year in tipping fees.

In search of a better solution, some progressive Boulderites are recommending that the city compost the material. The main hurdles to this plan are making biodegradable bags widely available and retraining dog owners to use them in lieu of non-compostable plastic. Concerns over roundworms and other parasites that previously made dog feces unusable in compost have since been mitigated by a new process that better breaks down the waste and heats it to around 145 degrees to destroy any contaminants.

Of course, the scent of flame-roasted dog turds doesn’t exactly scream “civic pride,” but one problem at a time.

Source: Boulder Daily Camera