How to Dispose Cat Litter without Damaging the Environment

With cats comes cat litter, that’s a fact. In this article we’ll see how to dispose cat litter without harming the environment.

Cats are like all living things: they drink, they eat. So naturally, they must evacuate what they ingest…

When you’re in love with cats, you naturally become an intelligent and responsible consumer.

With this vision, one notices quite quickly that the cat consumes quite a lot of litter.

The calculation over the year represents a real budget and this brings another question, that of recycling.

What if it were possible to reuse the litter for other tasks in the house?

So, instead of packing up soiled litter and sending it straight to the trash, let’s find out how to dispose cat litter sustainably.

The Ecological Impact of Cat Litter

From the moment it is conceived, cat litter has an impact on the environment.

Most cat litter is made from clay, a non-renewable raw material, anarchically extracted in quarries and which produces a lot of dust during production.

In the case of bleached, scented or pest treated cat litter, environmentally hazardous chemicals are added.

Even during the disposal process, conventional litter remains difficult to manage.

Every year, more than 400,000 tons of litter is produced.

Non-recyclable and non-biodegradable, this ultimate waste is rejected by most waste management companies.

Don’t even think about including them in your compost… Because of their mineral nature, conventional litter never really dissolves.

In addition, traditional litter is dangerous to health because it contains a very high level of fine particles.

Knowing that a cat consumes about 66lbs of litter per year, the question of how to treat its waste must be handled with care.

Less polluting, natural litters are worth looking at and will delight both owners and their felines!

How to Dispose Cat Litter: Putting It in the Trash Can

This is the simplest and most obvious way to get rid of your cat’s litter box.

Use a litter scoop to scoop up feces and clumped pieces of urine.

Place them in a small garbage bag. If necessary, double the thickness of the garbage bag to prevent leakage.

Tie the bag securely.

Place it in a large trash can and make sure the trash can is picked up regularly. The litter should not be left in the bin indefinitely. In addition to unpleasant odors, excrement contains bacteria that cause diseases, including toxoplasmosis.

You may be in the habit of burning dead leaves or branches in your garden. It is not advisable to do the same with litter, which generally does not burn very well. In addition, there is always the risk of releasing the bacteria named Toxoplasma gondii (at the origin of Toxoplasmosis).

Use a Bin Specially Designed for Litter

This type of trash can will make your life easier. Its emptying is made easier thanks to an “infinite bag” system: tie a knot to create a new bag, cut the bag when it is full, then tie a new knot to have a new bin ready for use.

In addition, the bin is specially designed to retain bad odors.

How to dispose cat litter with this bin:

Litter Champ Premium Odor-Free Cat Litter Disposal System

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Flushing the Cat’s Litter

For a litter to be flushed down the toilet, it must be 100% biodegradable (i.e. it must be able to decompose naturally on its own), and must not contain toxic products that are harmful to the environment (and therefore must not end up in the sewer system).

In other words, the litter must be environmentally friendly.

To make sure that the litter you wish to buy meets the requirements described above, you simply need to check the packaging to make sure that the litter certifies that it is environmentally friendly, biodegradable, without additives harmful to the environment (and to your cat) and meets certain design requirements (such as litter made from recycled products) and performance requirements (such as odor control, liquid absorption capacity, dust level, etc.).

Therefore, clay and silica litter cannot and must not be flushed down the toilet under any circumstances.

Vegetable-based litter is biodegradable, but some (or even most) contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and cannot be flushed down the toilet.

In short, to find out how to dispose cat litter by flushing it down the toilet, make sure it’s plant-based and is stamped with a certification that it’s environmentally friendly and can be flushed down the toilet without harming the environment.

However, note that if you have a septic tank in your home, it is strongly discouraged to pour the litter in your toilet, at the risk of filling your septic tank unnecessarily and consequently saturating your evacuation pipes…

Opt for Natural Litter!

Litter Made from Wood Pellets

Made from coniferous or deciduous trees, wood pellets are 100% environmentally friendly and without health risks.

By disintegrating on contact with urine, they prevent the spread of dust, foul odors and moisture.

As a material that is not very conducive to the development of bacteria, they are recommended for owners who fear that their cats may contract infections.

And since cats love the semi-soft, semi-solid texture, wood pellets make them happy.

Sawdust Litter

It is a lighter version of wood pellets. Inexpensive and easy to find, it has high absorbency and does not create dust.

Straw Cat Litter

Small rodents are not the only ones who can use straw as bedding.

Your feline will be delighted to relieve itself on this natural fiber mattress.

However, be careful because this material is not very absorbent. You’ll have to change it every day, otherwise you’ll find yourself invaded by odors or urine.

Cat Litter Made of Linen

Once the flax stalk has been completely crushed, it can be used as cat litter.

Gentle on your cat’s paw pads, it should be turned over regularly to continue absorbing urine properly.

Also, it does not retain odors as effectively as other natural cat litters.

Corn Cat Litter

Is it still necessary to show the impregnating power of corn?

Native American yellow gold does not allow liquids or odors to spill over.

Made from seeds or cobs, natural corn litter is a bit hard, which can be displeasing to even the most delicate felines.

Sand Cat Litter

In nature, fine sand is the cats’ favorite place of comfort. It is very pleasant, retains odors well and easily covers excrement.

Unfortunately, it has a tendency to seep between the pads and stick to the paws if it is wet.

If you choose this type of natural litter, consider placing a mat around the litter box, otherwise you may end up with sand all over the house.

Paper Cat Litter

This natural litter is reserved for DIY enthusiasts.

Tear up sheets of paper before immersing them in soapy water.

Once the mixture resembles mush, drain it and soak it in a mixture of water and baking soda.

Remove the excess water and form small paper balls and place them in your cat’s tray.

Economical and very effective, this natural litter will also give you the satisfaction of being the creator.

How to Dispose Cat Litter in an Environmentally Friendly Way?

Cat Litter and Garden Compost

How to dispose cat litter by composting it? it’s very simple. Just pour the entire contents of the litter into the compost bin and then follow the classic steps by adding dead leaves, grass clippings and other biodegradable waste.

Leave the whole thing to macerate for a few weeks.

Finally, collect the bottom, usually via a drawer, and use it as fertilizer or fertilizer for your flowers.

Don’t forget to equip yourself with a pair of gloves.

They are indispensable when a human being handles items that have been in direct contact with soiled litter.

Indeed, a small parasite naturally present in cat feces can be dangerous to health (pregnant women and other fragile cases).

A good protection of the hands makes it possible to keep at a distance the parasite mentioned above.

For the same reason, you must be careful with your children playing in the garden: it is preferable that they make their holes elsewhere than where you dump the compost.

And finally, it is strongly advised not to use the compost obtained from litter waste in a window box intended for the production of vegetables and fruit. You can only use this natural fertilizer for your flowers, shrubs or trees.

And what about you? What’s the most convenient way for you to dispose cat litter in the most environmentally friendly way? Feel free to tell us in the comments!

Featured Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

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