Pet owners are told to flush their animal’s poo down the toilet instead of putting it in the bin
- Victorian council urges pet owners to flush their animal’s waste down the toilet
- Hobsons Bay City Council said the move was to avoid waste in the bin system
- Pet owners were told the sewerage system was a better option than the bins
A city council has urged its residents to stop throwing their pet’s waste in bins and instead to flush it down the toilet.
Hobsons City Council, in Melboourne’s west, told residents that dog and cat poop should no longer be put in household bins.
The council hope the move would stop putting the waste into garden bins.
Hobsons Bay City Council, in Melbourne’s west, has urged its residents to flush their pet’s waste down the toilet (stock image)
On the council’s Facebook page they informed people it was safe to flush their pet’s waste down the toilet so long as it was on its own or wrapped in toilet paper.
‘Melbourne’s sewage treatment plants are designed to remove high concentrations of pathogens that are present in human effluent,’ the statement read.
‘And these treatment barriers are also effective against the microorganisms present in animal faeces.’
The statement also clarified what pet owners had to do if they chose to flush their pet’s waste instead of binning it.
‘As with human waste, nothing apart from the actual waste and toilet paper should be flushed,’ the statement continued.
‘Non-animal waste such as wipes, plastic bags, ‘biodegradable’ plastic bags or kitty litter cannot go in the toilet.’
If pet owners were to flush with no biodegradable items such as a plastic bags containing the waste then it is likely to clog up sewerage pipes.
Kitty litter is also listed as an item which needed to be binned and not flushed down the toilet.
Council said Melbourne’s sewage treatment plants are designed to remove high concentrations of pathogens but throwing the waste in a regular bin prevented this (stock image)