How To Dispose Of Cat Litter The Greenway

Posted by April R. Natal on November 12th, 2019

If you’re looking for how to dispose of cat litter the greenway, then you’re in luck.

In this article, we’re going to show you the best ways to dispose of cat litter without plastic bags. You’re going to discover some eco-friendly cat litter hacks and how to use biodegradable cat litter tray liners the right way.

Note that these methods are the easiest and the cheapest ways to dispose of the cat poop the greenway. So, without further ado, here are the effective ways to disposing of cat poo the right way.

Try Composting Kitty Litter

Because cats have lived with us for quite some time, the chance that they can pass down diseases to us is high. The most concerning of this is the parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause congenital disabilities in humans. That is why we recommend that pregnant women should never handle cat feces. 

And one of the most effective ways of preventing this from happening is by composting Cat litters. This has been the best and efficient way of recycling cat waste into organic material without it being messy. 

There are 3 basic steps you’ll have to take to be able to compost your cat litter capacity the best way.

Buy or Build a Compost Bin.

You can decide to buy a compost bin to dispose of your cat's waste. But make sure that the one you are going to get is capable of allowing cat waste to compost for at least 18 months before it can be safe to use on edible crops.

Doing this removes the risk of parasites like tapeworm, and toxoplasmosis found in cat’s waste used as manure on crops.

More importantly, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the compost bin more efficiently. But if you want to build your own compost bin, then you need enough planks to build one for yourself.

You will need to layer several planks of wood on top of the other to construct an open-lidded box. Ensure the compost bin is about a three-by-two foot box to have sufficient space.

To make it even easier, you may decide not to nail the wood together if you don’t want to pass through the hassle of nailing the woods.

The main idea in the first place is to create a spacious bin with a lid on top to prevent cars and dogs from making the compost-bin their own.

Once you are done creating the compost bin, the next step is to encourage the growth of a healthy colony of compost-enhancing bacteria.  To do this, add a two-inch layer of topsoil, sawdust, and dry leaves, to the bottom of the homemade bin.

2. Choose the best cat litter

If you want your cat litter to compost easily without damaging the structure of the soil, then go for all-natural cat litter like plain sawdust.

Unlike a Clay-based and crystalline litters that aren’t compostable, plain sawdust natural litter is an inexpensive and wonderful green way to compost cat poop.

While crystalline and sand-based litters may cause synthetic toxins to the environment, natural litters as well as litters made from cider and pine, are earth-friendly and are compostable cat-litter. This type of litter is produced commercially to be significantly more absorbent compared to plain sawdust or other litters.

Wheat-based natural litters, on the other hand, are also compost-friendly. They’re a great option if you want a sustainable and non-toxic way to dispose of your cats’ waste. Thanks to their composed wheat husk material that ensures they a clean, odorless, and renewable option.

Aside from this, brands that come in a recyclable package is also an effective way to lower the carbon footprint of your kitty litter.

An example of such a brand is Yesterday’s News, made from recycled newspaper. It has bags that can be recycled in some communities.

You can also use old kitty litter bags to hold trash, including your unwanted kitty litter, which keeps you from having to purchase many plastic trash bags.

3. Use Recycled Newspaper instead of Plastic Bags Compost Cat Litters

Recycled newspapers are a great ecologically and a conscious option for composting cat litter than plastic bags.

Although, plastic bag usage is rampant all over the world, especially developing countries and a higher percentage is used for solely packaging; they are made of a chemical known as Bisphenol-A (BPA) to make them more durable.

BPA is a threat to human health because it disrupts the hormones our body naturally produces, by mimicking the effect of the female hormone estrogen.

This can cause

  • Infertility
  • Congenital disorders, 
  • Vitamin deficiency
  • Tooth damage
  • Obesity, 
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes. 

So, we do not recommend disposing of cat poop with the plastic bags, instead, use a recycled Recycled Newspaper. Available in most stores, Recycled Newspaper Composts very readily and it is accepted by most cats.

Surprisingly, they are very absorbent than other natural products even though they are somewhat expensive.

So, ensure you try out these methods to see which one works best for you. They are a great way to have your cat litter compost in the greenway.

4. Try out the following alternatives other than Grocery Bags 

One of the best tips that work great for me is the use of grocery bags for throwing out my trash. And since I’ve been using reusable bags for over a decade, currently they aren’t enough because more and more people use reusable totes. And this has lead to a shortage of garbage bags for me.

So, most times, I improvise and use the following alternatives:

  • Toilet paper roll packaging: Using toilet paper roll packaging is straightforward. What you need to do is to buy a Jumbo pack of 12 rolls. Then cut one end of the plastic wrap open, instead of tearing it off. This will give you a giant-sized bag for throwing out cat litter.
  • Use Ditto for the plastic wrapper on paper towels.
  • Use a smaller cat litter scoop. Then use smaller bags to toss out the cat’s waste, since the smaller scoop will fit inside of the smaller bag.
  • Ask friends that have babies from 3 to 5 years to give you the bags that come with disposable diapers. 
  • Also, ask friends with newspaper subscriptions to help you keep bags that are used to deliver newspapers.  

5. Use Paper garbage 

The use of Paper garbage is also another effective way to have an eco-friendly cat litter. 

To make paper garbage:

  • Take two newspapers and stick them at the top
  • Take the edge slightly to have good strength, and take one corner and fold it towards the middle crease.
  • Repeat the same for the other corner. 

Now, fold the bottom of the upper paper towards the triangle, flip it over and make the fold towards the middle crease from both sides. 

Fold the bottom towards the triangle and slightly open the folded part and fold it inside. 

Next, is to make a slat fold from the left, folding towards the right and likewise the other direction. 

Finally, when you open it, a cap is formed. Make the folds at the crease so that a box is formed, and thus, your garbage bag is ready. 

Your paper garbage bag can be in different sizes as per the need and also, you can make it with different materials, for better durability like flakes.  

6. Use Paper Bags

While Plastic bags will not break down after sitting in the landfill for long, Paper bags are a cheap alternative that will break down much faster. What you need to do is to ensure you are dedicated to cleaning your trash lodgment sporadically. 

7. Use Biodegradable Cat Litter Waste Bags

Compostable and Biodegradable bags are plant-based materials from corn-starch and wheat, as opposed to petroleum. They are biodegradable and are much faster to decompose than synthetic bags, which could take so many years. 

However, Biodegradable bags actually do not decompose in aquatic environments, not even to a small degree. 

So, in non-decomposing areas, such as the sea body, biodegradable bags are just as harmful as the traditional plastic bags.

It is of the essence to note that there are Degradable bags and these differ from the biodegradable bags. 

Don't confuse Degradable or Oxo-Degradable Bags Vs Biodegradable Bags & Compostable Bags.

What are Degradable bags?

These are also known as Oxo-degradable bags. They are plastic bags with chemical additives that are added to help them break down. They disintegrate much more quickly than any standard plastic bags. Unfortunately, they don’t disappear completely. 

Degradable or Oxo-degradable bags demean into tinier particles. Perceptually, they become less visible to us. It becomes microplastics, which are of maximum negative effects on our ecosystem. 

8. Consider making your cat a full-time resident of the great indoors

According to a study carried out in 2006, in the small Central Coast communities of Cayucos, Los Osos and Morro Bay alone, feral cats were known to put 29.5 tons of feces into the environment annually. In another study, domestic cats that defecate outdoors contribute to an estimated 76.4 tons of wastes.

So, ensure you do not allow your cat to do their business outdoors. But if they must, ensure you bag the waste and throw it away. 

With outdoor cats in cities, there is a high chance that they will go on a hard surface and do their business. And this will likely will get washed into the storm-water system.

Conclusion 

So, these are some of the best ways to dispose of cat litter without it affecting the planet. They are some of the most viable solutions we have tried and have produced good sanitary results.  

I hope you find this guide useful? What other safety tips do you have that can help us dispose of cat litter the greenway?

Author: 

April R. Natal is a writer and best pal to 3 kittens. He\'s been writing about cat care topics since 2016 to help fellow pet owners make the best decisions possible when it comes to selecting the best cat products and taking care of their pets. As a passionate cat owner, April has been on the search for pet-friendly carriers, inns, hotels, and breakfast to give cats the best experience ever. /m/031_tp

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April R. Natal

About the Author

April R. Natal
Joined: November 12th, 2019
Articles Posted: 1