Today, March 22, is World Water Day! For World Water day we wanted to share why we need to protect our watershed. Water is so important, it’s what makes earth unique and we take advantage of it. We are made up of approximately 60% water, we need water to live, to clean, to grow food… so why aren’t some people taking the daily action of cleaning up their pet waste? We are allowing our water to become poo-lluted đź’© and that’s just wrong, so we are here taking action, educating and hoping you will be inspired to do the same!
Why Scoop the poop?
Here at scoop 2 we share about the importance of picking up 2 pieces of pet waste or litter on your daily walks. If you see it, scoop it! It doesn’t matter if its your pets or not, the point is we want to remove waste from our environment, from our community, keep it out of our watershed and off our shoes! We all have a responsibility for our earth, pet owner or not. If you have a pet, you are more likely to have pet waste bags on you – and spring has sprung. ‘Tis the season for spring clean ups, with the snow defrosting. We are finding more trash and pet waste that once was hidden by the white fluffy snow, no longer looking pristine as it melts, taking the trash, cigarette butts, and pet waste with it into our storm drain systems. From the drain systems these connect to rivers and lakes without treatment, so what can we do? We Scoop 2!
Storm Sewers & Drains lead to… waterways and wildlife. Protect our watershed!
Out of sight out of mind? For World Water Day: we are sharing why we need to protect our watershed… Perhaps since you are seeing the waste being washed away into the drains you are expecting our water systems to take over – in fact once in the storm drains they travel through pipes into other local waterways and in some cases into wastewater treatment plants. We think our systems to be better than they are, when in reality: It simply becomes contaminated water. This contaminated water also therefore affects wildlife, aquatic wildlife, plants and makes swimming areas unsafe for use. Even the city of Toronto states “Storm sewers carry stormwater (rain and melted snow) directly to nearby waterways” I know some people who think it goes directly to a treatment plant, and it certainly depends on the drain, but likely it does not. Have you ever been to the beach in the summer with a sign stating no swimming? That is part of the reason why!
Dog Poop Contaminating our Watershed
“It’s fertilizer” we often wrongly hear (Check out our Pet Waste FAQ), or “what difference would it make?” a BIG difference! Not only in the cleanliness of our walking trails and parks, but also pet waste impacts our watershed. In fact, we’ve seen proof of this recently with the issue of Calgary off-leash dog parks contaminated with dog faeces. You can read the recent Global News dog faces, causing health problems study here – if this doesn’t inspire you, we are about to drop some facts that will!
The article shares that Dogged researchers from the University of Calgary found that 127 grams of dog poop, per hectare, per week, is left behind in Calgary parks. Also sharing “We noticed that the amount of fecal matter in areas that where the owners are allowed to walk the dogs off leash was huge. This is not good. It’s not good for the dogs that go off leash. It’s not good for the owners,” Alessandro Massolo said. Off-leash locations are a luxury, and some pet owners are taking advantage of this. Areas are becoming too contaminated, and we’re not just talking about the “ew I stepped in dog poop” it is also leeching into our water supply. Rain water washing fecal mater into our streams and rivers, and as mentioned even if they go into the drains – they may not end up at a treatment centre but directly back into our environment!
How to help the poo-llution? Join the Poovement!
Another article shared by the City of Mississauga stated “Since January 2021, the City has received 1,188 waste-related complaints through 311.” And these are just the logged complaints. So many people walk by without considering helping, but we have a pledge, join the poovement and take small actions daily to create big changes!
We are taking action, Scoop 2 wants to inspire you to start scooping (at least) 2 pieces of pet waste and litter on your daily walk. If you see it, scoop it! Since spring is coming we suggest you look into nearby community clean ups to help take action, even for just one day. Scoop 2 is one of many awesome organizations trying to take a stand on the issue of pet waste and litter in our environment. We’d also love to shout out: One Piece a Day, Canines for Clean Water, Litter Lotto, and many others out there that you can connect with as well for inspiration to clean our communities. Sign the scoop 2 pledge and join us in the poovement today!