How can I recyle cat litter waste? Right now, my bags of it end up in trash disposal. I know someone who directly created a slope of it over a cliff, over time! In the past, I've used it to fill holes in my property. The point is, it's not supposed to be used in compost (except for flower beds), and if treated as trash, it just goes into landfills, doesn't it? I am looking for environmentally sound ideas about where to dispose of cat litter. What do you do with your clay or scoop stuff?
You are so right to try to find an answer to this question. Did you know that they mine for the clay just for the purpose of cat litter? That just strikes me as horrible, that we're using a natural resource for that purpose.
I have a friend who uses chicken feed instead of cat litter. She says her cats were allergic to the litter and had begun to get sick any time they scratched around to cover "stuff" up. A guy at the hardware suggested the chicken feed, and she hasn't had any problems since because the feed doesn't have a dust to it. And as a bonus, its cheaper.
I have tried using paper, and its ok, but it's hard to control the smell. Maybe baking soda would help.
Now getting rid of whatever you use for litter and the contents? Harder question. One thing I have considered doing is throwing it away in a paper bag. I mean, think about it. When we throw it away in a plastic bag, we've taken something completely biodegradable and made it almost completely un-biodegradable, since it takes about a hundred years for a plastic bag to break down.
So, my advice would be to use chicken feed (biodegradable) for the litter, and then throw it all away in a paper bag so that it can eventually break down.
Kudos to you for caring and thinking responsibly about what you and your animals consume :-)
I'm so glad for your responses! Nope, Deeli, the friend just tossed!
You know, another problem (mine & hers) is that my trash can be collected (for free) only in 1 large weekly bag, & the 7-10 individual bags in in filled w/ litter is very heavy! Very bad for my back!
Thriftyboo, from what I understand it's not the litter itself that's the problem; it's the waste. Meat-eaters, such as cats & people, shouldn't recycle what they expel into any ground used to grow edibles. Isn't that the case?
Hi, Thrifty Me. I have 6 indoor cats, so potty-training's not practical here. And, like you, I'm now using scoop litter, but still have about a 5-lb (?) bag per day. I've read the pros & cons of "greener" litter, but it's more expensive & not very well praised. When I clean the entire boxes, of course, then I'm really weighted down that week in used litter!
I use the clumping litter and it works so well that I rarely empty the whole litter box. When I feel that it needs to be changed I empty it a little at a time, but mostly just clean out the urine and poop and add a little fresh litter. I think that it's great; saves on litter and what is put into a landfill. If you are so inclined, you might explore the "green" litter alternatives, like the shredded newspaper. I like th4e clumping liltter because it removes the odor immediately. When I can smell it, I know it needs to be refreshed. It is also possible to teach the cat to use the toilet. I don't have the patience for that, but there you go, if you do.
In my town, the "pooper scooper laws" claim that dog and cat waste is unhygienic and contaminates soil and water.
That's funny. My dad always used our dog's "manure" to fertilize our garden. Some people thought that was gross, but is cow manure any grosser? We know what went into our dog and what came out of her.
If I had a yard I would use cat waste for flower gardening and lawn maintenance. I would use biodegradable litter such as "Yesterday's News" (made from newspaper) or shredded paper.
Used clay, scoop, pellet, or paper kitty litter needs to go in to a land fill and/or buried. No flushing of even the clumped urine (or feces for that matter) down the toilet for certain! There is no other environmentally safe way to dispose of used litter other than buried. Food for thought: What do cats instinctively do? They bury it.
It's admirable of you to try to find an option but anything other than landfill or burying is not safe due to virus/bacteria.
I hope the friend who made a slope on the cliff buried the litter instead of simply dumping it where it remains air born and does not decompose as quickly :-(
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