Saturday, October 2, 2010

Dog Poop In Your Supercan: Part II

We recently posted a column posing the question: Is it okay to put your dog's poop in somebody else's supercan?

The comments generally fell into two categories: No, no, no, not ever and under no circumstances. The second category of comments was: Sometimes, maybe, but it doesn't happen often and I always use a poop bag. It's just a garbage can, after all, so what's the big deal?

On the one hand, DC's supercans belong to the city and nobody can claim that they and they alone have the right to completely control the cans. So goes the pro-poop argument. On the other hand, many people keep their supercans on private property, so dog owners have to go onto somebody's property --or kind of lean over it-- to put their dog's waste into someobody else's can: a legal no-no.

Some people actually want poop bags in their cans, because they feel for dog owners who have to carry the poop bags around for hours and because they don't want to see dog litter around their neighborhood: Here's what one DC resident said on the Communit-E listserv: "I support those who have dogs and walk them in our neighborhood. The area is very neat and clean. Please feel free to put your bags of dog poop in my supercans also. I also appreciate that you pick up after your dog and don't want you to have to carry it further than necessary."

Maybe the solution is to have a sticker that lets dog owners know whose supercan invites dog poop. I'm sure that a creative mind can think of some universal image that says, "Deposit Your Dog Poop Bag Here"

2 comments:

  1. I paid the city for the privilege of having a Supercan at my residence. As I recall, it cost me $75.00 a number of years ago. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, the Supercan is my property and I prefer that others do not use it. DPW also has confirmed that the Supercan is not considered city property. I hope this settles the debate once and for all.

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  2. The trash collectors remove the trash bags and often leave the bags of dog droppings, leaving them in the can. This leaves me as the homeowner to clean it out. In the summertime this has made my trash can smelly and a breeding ground for flies.

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