Ecologically speaking, what is the best way to dispose of used kitty litter?

Question

Obviously, the recycling truck isn't going to want the smelly stuff. But throwing it in the trash feels wrong to me, especially if trash is incinerated, as it is where I live. Is there a better practice than tossing it in the trash truck?

Answer 1

If you have low spots in your yard, put it there. The stuff IS NOT toxic. Ask at you're local nursery. Trust me you won't be disposing enough to worry about.

Answer 2

I know the worst thing you can do it throw it in the toilet. (with clumping litter). There was just a study done saying that lots of damage is done when people through "pee clumps" into the toilet as the litter is very damaging to the environment. They also advise not to throw cat stools into the toilet either. They say it is best to throw it in the trash. You can buy litter that breaks down easily like the ones made of old newspaper, and dispose of it outside where it can further break down if you don't live in a city.

Answer 3

I think the trash is the best option.
Dumps are designated spots where all kinds of toxic stuff lays and (hopefully) animals don't have access to it. If you flush it, it ends up in the sea, and cats carry diseases that affect other animals and can be transmitted that way. If you simply bury it in the woods, animals can dig it up again, in fact, they probably will since the smell of urine signals to them there is an invader on their territory. Toxoplasmosis is a common infection transmitted from cats to people and it can affect the fetus in a pregnancy making the child mentally disabled.
I put whatever I scoop in a plastic bag and tie that up and put it in the trash in the garage.

Answer 4

Check out the all natural cat litter that is completely flushable down the toliet. Actually there are some cats that are training to use a regular toliet! Not mine but there is a man I have seen his ads frequently, it is GreenGrass or similar, just google it. There are several manufacturers that make it. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

If you're throwing it in the garden or the woods just be sure you put it in a place away from streams or other bodies of water. You want it to go into the ground not the water supply. Think about run off patterns when you pick your spot. Even far from a small stream - in the path of run off - is bad.

Answer 6

They have new kitty scoops that use special bags to lock in the litter and keep the smell in. These cost a little more but they keep the smell down! Or you could look into flushable cat litter, then you can scoop and flush!

Answer 7

Puppies

Answer 8

change from cat litter to pine mulch, you can get in shredded form and its cheaper. where i live in country have a spot in back of property, take the poo out and mix the dirty mulch with leaves. Takes about two years to turn into dirt.

Answer 9

That depends on your kitty litter. Most litters are clay based (also wood based) These decompose rapidly. I compost just about everything. I use the compost on my garden (don't laugh, your veggies all veggies are grown in human and animal waste, where did you think it went!) Kitty litter is actually very good for your garden. Now before you say any thing read below:

Tossing your litter in a garden, in the woods etc. is the best way to not only help the environment but alleviate the trash.

Anhydrous ammonia must be stored under pressure or at low temperature to remain a liquid.

The main uses of ammonia are in the production of fertilizers, explosives and polymers. It is also the active ingredient in household glass cleaners. Ammonia is found in small quantities in the atmosphere, being produced from the putrefaction of nitrogenous animal and vegetable matter. Ammonia and ammonium salts are also found in small quantities in rainwater, while ammonium chloride (sal-ammoniac) and ammonium sulfate are found in volcanic districts; crystals of ammonium bicarbonate have been found in Patagonian guano. The kidneys excrete NH4+ to neutralize excess acid. [3] Ammonium salts also are found distributed through all fertile soil and in seawater. Substances containing ammonia, or that are similar to it, are called ammoniacal.

Ammonia is an important source of nitrogen for living systems. Although atmospheric nitrogen abounds, few living creatures are capable of utilizing this nitrogen. Nitrogen is required for the synthesis of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Some plants rely on ammonia and other nitrogenous wastes incorporated into the soil by decaying matter. Others, such as nitrogen-fixing legumes, benefit from symbiotic relationships with rhizobia which create ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen.

Ammonia also plays a role in both normal and abnormal animal physiology. Ammonia is created through normal amino acid metabolism and is toxic in high concentrations. The liver converts ammonia to urea through a series of reactions known as the urea cycle. Liver dysfunction, such as that seen in cirrhosis, may lead to elevated amounts of ammonia in the blood (hyperammonemia). Likewise, defects in the enzymes responsible for the urea cycle, such as ornithine transcarbamylase, lead to hyperammonemia. Hyperammonemia contributes to the confusion and coma of hepatic encephalopathy as well as the neurologic disease common in people with urea cycle defects and organic acidurias.[18]

Ammonia is important for normal animal acid/base balance. After formation of ammonium from glutamine, α-ketoglutarate may be degraded to produce two molecules of bicarbonate which are then available as buffers for dietary acids. Ammonium is excreted in the urine resulting in net acid loss. Ammonia may itself diffuse across the renal tubules, combine with a hydrogen ion, and thus allow for further acid excretion.[19]


Ammonia is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell; it is lighter than air, its density being 0.589 times that of air.

Answer 10

There are many brands that are biodegradable like Yesterdays News etc. I have a big property and just toss it into the woods.