Great Bark Dog Park Compost Program

New compost program at the Great Bark Dog Park

Help make the dog park waste-free

The Lafayette Parks, Recreation & Open Space Department, in collaboration with the Lafayette Waste Reduction Committee, is pleased to announce the launch of a pilot dog waste composting program at the Great Bark Dog Park. Dog waste can be challenging for communities to deal with, and most of it ends up in landfills where it contributes to emissions from methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Nationwide, pet dogs produce over 10 million tons of poop each year, and Lafayette wants to do what we can to minimize our contribution.

Effective April 15, 2019, Great Bark Dog Park users will now be asked to use the compostable waste bags and the separate "dog waste" trash bins provided at the park. Plastic bags brought to the park are not compostable, so it is imperative that pet owners at the park utilize the compostable bags provided for free, and not plastic bags brought from home. What are the benefits of dog waste composting?

• Composting reduces the amount of material deposited in landfills.
• Composting removes raw dog waste from the environment where it can pollute groundwater and streams.
• Good composting destroys pathogens and produces a safe soil amendment.
• Good composting produces a quality soil additive that improves both the physical condition and fertility of the soil.