Earth Day is fast approaching on April 22nd and, depending on when you read this, may have already passed. Considering that this week is all about eco-friendly alternatives, we figured we might as well give a quick rundown of what we have available, and potential future offerings, from Wooflinen.
Eco-Friendly Dog Poop Bags
Dog Waste Bags are great for the neighborhood. No waste left behind, no waste on the hands, easy to carry, and all your neighbors will appreciate you for having them on hand. Wonderful! But, while your neighbors are giving you a pat on the back, these same little baggies can be terrible for the environment. Fortunately, there are some sustainable solutions already available today. So let’s give a quick look at how to lower your carbon footprint while out on a walk with your favorite furbabies.
For a full guide on plastic alternatives, we have a write-up here. There is also a wonderful look at Environmentally-Friendly Dog Waste Bag Options over at Rover.
Our own breakdown is going to be quick and to the point…
Most bags available are simply, bad for the environment, plastic. Even with the bags being thin and small, those numbers can stack up for dog owners who go on daily walks. These bags later appear everywhere, including landfills and oceans. The next type of bag is “Oxo-Biodegradable”. The bag is still made out of plastic, but has a special additive and metal salts that forces the bag to break into small segments at a rapid rate. However, up to 9% of the bag can remain as microplastics. Last is bio-starch options – ours are corn starch – that are created to ASTM D6400 specification. Because of the ingredients, usually limited to a starch and an oil based derivative, these bags break down entirely, and can decompose in as little as 90 days given the right conditions. The ASTM D6400 is the best of the best specification for plastic bag alternatives.
French Linen is the epitome of luxury, and the product comes with a noticeably higher price tag strictly due to how hard it is to make. But that doesn’t mean the material isn’t a wonderful fabric alternative for the environment. The best comparison would be cotton. Cotton requires pesticides to grow, while the Flax plant, where French Linen comes from, requires little to none. It just so happens that the Flax plant is not picky, and will grow in just about any soil, no matter how bad. Cotton, on the other hand, requires large, select fields to grow. And, not to rub salt on the wound – that we created – but French Linen uses about 2/3rd’s less water than cotton. Environmentally friendly, indeed! But let’s not forget about Bamboo!
Bamboo, which is a far more popular eco-friendly bedding here in the States – mostly because, like cotton, it has no problem getting beaten up by HE washers and dryers – also comes with the same environmental benefits that French Linen does. Bamboo is a grass, and literally grows like a weed. Our bamboo comes from sustainable farms, which is sort of like an oxymoron, considering that bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant. Do you know a particular species of bamboo has the world record for growing 35 inches in a single day? That is fast!
The bamboo requires no irrigation, no chemical pesticides and, wait for it, no fertilizer!
Awesome? We know!
Happy Earth Day Everyone!
