Can Power Be Produced from Pet Feces?

I find myself shivering from the icy, late-November wind on this early Monday morning waiting, and at times pleading, with my miniature dachshund, Carrera, to please hurry about her business so that we can both escape into the warmth of our home. Finally! She finishes the deed and triumphantly plots around in a circle, tremendously proud of her accomplishment. Unfortunately, with her triumph comes my displeasure as I take out the plastic bag in my pocket and reach down to claim the prize. This slightly demeaning yet utterly disgusting act is the unfortunate duty of dog owners walking their pets through the city.

Upon returning home and disposing of the bag I realize how this event, which occurs a few times each day, must truly be impacting the environment for there are millions of pet owners collecting then disposing of the feces, usually in the same small plastic bags that I use. The plastic waste alone accumulates, not recycled, in our landfills. What if we could turn this negative aspect of responsible pet ownership into a viable solution to our environmental problems instead of part of the problem?

San Francisco recently began a program where they hope to convert pet waste into energy that could reduce our oil consumption, promote energy independence, as well as greatly reduce the methane produced discarded feces decomposes. Methane is roughly 20 times worse than carbon dioxide (CO2) in terms of damage to our atmosphere and contribution towards global warming.

Most responsible pet owners do the job of collecting the waste themselves which makes the work already half done in order to achieve the goals required to produce viable energy from feces. By placing receptacles in and around parks common to dog walking as well as a separate container for home curbside pick-up would be a significantly easy way of collection.

With tens of millions of pets in the US alone such an energy source could prove to be quite significant in the quest to reduce global warming and benefit the health of each and every one of us. And as my furry little friend, Carrera, can attest to this is an endlessly renewable resource.