Collection: Dog Poop Bags

What are the best dog poop bags for the environment?

The best dog poop bags for the environment are compostable dog poop bags. Compostable means the dog poop bags break down into organic material within 6 months. Biodegradable or any other type of dog poop bag that isn’t certified compostable is marketing speak for it’s a plastic dog poop bag.

Why Does Oh Crap Only Offer Compostable Dog Poop Bags?

Unlike some other Aussie & foreign brands that offer degradable, biodegradable, oxo-degradable, and photodegradable dog poop bags and sometimes even try to fool you with eco-friendly sounding names, we only offer compostable dog poop bags. So if you see Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags, you know they are compostable.

Why? Simply, if it’s not compostable, it’s got plastic in it. That plastic might break down quickly, but it’s just breaking down into the microplastics that end up inside every fish, animal and us.

Check out the section below on the differences between biodegradable dog poop bags and compostable dog poop bags.

What’s the difference between biodegradable and compostable dog poop bags?

This is something we get asked every day, and for a good reason - it’s been made complicated by marketers. All compostable products are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable products are compostable. Biodegradable is a word that was taken over by marketers in an effort to greenwash our brains. Biodegradable can be translated as ‘will break down at some point’, so that could be a year from now or, more likely, hundreds of years from now. And it’s likely to leave millions of microplastics that we all know by this point is why we all have plastic inside of us.

Compostable, on the other hand, has government tests around it, so you know what you are getting - and the Aussie government tests are some of the most stringent in the world. In Australia, our standards are AS 5810 for Home Composting and AS 4736 for Commercial Composting. The AS 4736 standard requires that 90% of the original material is gone after 12 weeks, and it’s completely biodegraded after 6 months.

In the dog poop bag world, if you see biodegradable and no compostable logos, that is code for the dog poop bag has got plastic in it. If you see the Aussie composting logos, you know it’s passed the government tests here for compostability.

Oxo-Degradable Dog Poop Bags?

You will see oxo-degradable dog poop bags advertised as ‘good’ because they break down quickly. However, oxo-degradable dog poop bags are made from plastic and actually just fragment into millions of pieces quickly, called microplastics. But they never actually degrade.

Are Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags Compostable?

Yes. Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags are certified AS 5810 & AS 4736 compostable.

Why Are Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags 3x Thicker Than Average Poop Bags?

When we started Oh Crap back in 2014, we wanted to make the best dog poop bag you can get. The fact they are compostable is only part of that equation. There is nothing worse than putting your hand in and getting that warm drip feel all over your hands. Yep, you know that crap feeling. Or even worse, the bags leaking poo all over your hands.

So we designed Oh Crap dog bags to be 3x thicker than your average poop bag. This means that they are not only leakproof dog poop bags, but you don’t get that warm, wet, crap feeling every time you pick up the poop. Dog walkers and carers who are continually picking up the business tell us they love not having a crap-smothered hand all of the time.

How big are Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags?

Oh Crap’s standard dog poop bags are 23cm by 33cm tall. This means it’s one of the largest dog poop bags available in Australia.

Oh Crap’s handled dog poop bags are 21cm wide & 34cm tall, including the handles. The patented design is specifically designed to fit onto guide dog toileting harnesses and works well for anyone looking for a dog poop bag with handles.

How do you stop the odour from escaping from dog poop bags?

After many years of tying poop bags, we suggest tying the bag like a balloon (not a shoe with two laces). After you have got 'the business' inside & at the bottom of your dog poop bag, run your fingers up the outside of the bag to push any air out & grab it about halfway up. Now tie the top part into a knot like a balloon, and then you have it, an odour-free dog poop bag.

How do I store Oh Crap Compostable Dog Poop Bags?

Although our poop bags are quick to decompose in composting conditions, they have a long shelf life. Oh Crap Dog Poop Bags last for at least 12 months when stored in cool, dry conditions. If your bags have been affected by rain when out on a walk, you have approximately 30 days to use up the rest of the roll.

Why are some Oh Crap poop bags handled and some not?

Creating bags with handles creates a lot of waste as you have to cut out of handle part from the middle of the bag; even though it's compostable, it's still extra processing, so waste, that is something that we are trying to eliminate. However, we know that there are people who want a handled option, so we have handled bag packs in rolls of 200. We also have handled dog poop bags in a bulk pack option that includes 1600 bags (8 rolls).

How to open a dog poop bag roll?

Can these pet waste bags be used for other things?

Yes. Our #OhCrapFamily is continually sharing stories with us about how they use the waste bags for cat litter, birds, rabbits or even as a portable rubbish bin for humans too when they go to the beach.

Is all plastic bad?

Based on all the chats we’ve had with scientists, not all plastic is bad. What we are all working towards in this world is getting to net zero. So where plastic is the best material for the job and can be recycled in the proper ways, it's ok. But when it comes to pet waste bags, they are a single-use item that is never going to be recycled, so we have to find other ways to get to net zero, and that's where compostable dog poop bags come in.

According to Greenpeace, ‘Every single piece of plastic ever made still exists’, so where plastic isn’t the best solution, we shouldn’t use it.

As crapologists we are obsessed with this, so if we find better and new way’s of doing things, let us know and we’ll make the change.