There are approximately 230,000 dogs in Toronto – and with that comes a lot of poop.  Any Toronto dog owner who has tried and failed to stuff their own green bag into a sidewalk garbage slot will testify to our city’s excess dog waste problem.  

A spring 2020 audit found that 45% of the litter, by weight, in the city’s garbage bins was organic material – and 99% of that was dog waste. 

The Dog Waste Collection Pilot Project was created in effort to keep organic waste out of garbage and recycling bins. When compost, such as dog droppings, are put into recycling bins it contaminates everything, so instead of it being turned into reusable materials it ends up in a landfill. 

By separating the dog waste into its own bin, it will not only prevent much of this organic material from ending up in a landfill, but it will also make it easier for the city to collect and use the waste to create digester solids, which go on to become compost. This pilot project is a win-win-win for dog owners, city dwellers, and the environment.  

The first two phases, which began in May 2021 with 10 bins, and then expanded in August 2021 with 38 bins, were successful. About 60% of the organic waste usually put in garbage or recycling compartments in street litter bins was put in the dog waste compartment. 

The third phase, announced this month, will bring a total of 100 citywide bins, and will run for six months.  

Until these dog-poop-only compartments are more widespread throughout Toronto, the city asks that dog owners continue to use the litter compartment or, alternatively, take your pooches green bags home and dispose of them in your compost bin. 

To learn more about this pilot project, and to find the locations of these bins, please visit Toronto.ca.