How to Choose the Best Pet Waste Station for Your Community

You might be surprised to learn just how many different options you have when choosing a pet waste station for your community.  After all, it’s just dog poop, right? Not so fast.

In this article we will explain the differences between different pet waste station products to help you make an informed buying decision.

Pet waste stations have four main components:

• Waste receptacle: The part of the dog waste station that will hold the dog waste.
• Post: All parts of the pet waste station are secured to the post.
• Litterbag dispenser: Holds the dog poop bags.  Dispensers come in mitt and roll bag styles.
• Sign: Reminder sign that encourages owners to pick up after their dogs.

Waste Receptacle

• Construction Material - Receptacles are most commonly made from metal or plastic. The most durable pet waste station receptacles are made from heavy duty steel.  Plastic receptacles will not rust, but are not as durable as heavy duty steel ones.  Light weight containers are more likely to rust at the bottom requiring more frequent replacement than heavier duty models. To further reduce rust, some models such as the Gladiator pet waste station have rust proof aluminum liners. Over the long run, light weight receptacles will generally be twice as expensive to own as the heavier duty models due to rust, wear and tear.
• Water Tightness - Pet waste stations should always have a tight cover to keep dog waste in and water out. We refer to the concoction created when water mixes with the contents of a dog poop receptacle as “poop soup.”  It is not pleasant.  Emptying a station that is filled with”poop soup” is difficult and just plain revolting.
  
  Many plastic stations have large holes in their sides to pass the waste through.  Others have loose fitting lids.  Either of these designs will allow water to enter the receptacle. The best stations have a small chute that closes tightly and is just large enough for depositing the waste.  This keeps the water out – and the waste in. For this reason, we recommend the Gladiator waste receptacle.  It’s simply the best receptacle on the market.

Litterbags most commonly come on rolls or on cards.  If you’re trying to save money, the cheapest per-bag solution is bags on a roll.  But it’s not that simple!

While mitt litterbags are slightly more expensive than roll bags on a per bag basis, their cost is more than comparable to mitt bags on a usage basis.  This is because it is very easy for dog owners to pull out many bags at once when bags are on a roll. 

Mitt style bags, though, are pulled out of the dispenser one at a time, because each bag is individually secured to the card.  In the end—unless users are simply too good to be real—mitt style stations will use fewer bags than roll style ones.

Residents generally prefer mitt style bags because the bag is larger and easier to open.

We do not recommend roll bags for areas that may be susceptible to vandalism.  It’s just too easy for someone to grab one bag and pull the whole roll behind them as they run across a park!

For these reasons, we recommend purchasing mitt style bags.

• The eHow article “How choose a pet waste station,” provides a step-by-step guide that explains how to select the pet waste station that is right for your community.
• The eHow article “How to solve a dog poop problem for your community or HOA,” explains the benefits of installing pet waste stations to help manage pet waste in your community.