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  • Can I use composted pet waste?

    Created by Anonymous on March 30, 2007 at 12:04 pm

    I’ve been considering a worm bin to start converting my dog poop into castings. My question is… Can compost made from the pet waste be used on the vegetable garden in addition to the flower beds?

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  • March 26, 2007 at 11:31 pm #13767

    DrBB
    Member

    Not a good idea. The kinds of microorganisms in dog and cat poo include some bad ones that are not destroyed in a normal compost pile because the temperatures don't get hot enough for long enough. Stick with non-diseased vegetative waste and you'll be much, much safer.

    March 30, 2007 at 12:04 pm #13768

    Flower_Power
    Member

    Daddy-O – I think it's generally understood that dogs and cats carry pathogens that can be transmitted to humans. With that said, composting pet waste with worms should generally be considered safe under the following conditions:

    1.) You use a separate bin for composting pet waste. (Do not put pet waste in your normal compost pile.)

    2.) The worm castings produced from your pet waste bin are used only in flower gardens. They should not be used in the vegetable garden.

    I have two dogs and have been using worms to compost their poo for a couple of years now. I love the way my bin works and I'm pretty sure it's healthier than having pet poo all over my yard!

    June 28, 2016 at 11:00 am #202930

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    As mentioned previously, it can potentially be dangerous to add pet wastes to your pile, as human pathogens may persist in the end product. We would not recommend it. Check out our tips and tricks on vermicomposting here!

    https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/vermicomposting/

    Happy Composting!

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