Need help with being "green" while cleaning litterboxes

[Emeraldgreen]

I've been thinking about this as well! We use the plastic grocery bags left over from our shopping and scoop our 4 boxes twice a day so it takes 2 bags per day. We also keep those 'full' bags in a big plastic container with a lid until it's full and then dump those bags into a garbage bag every few days.
I had been thinking about using paper grocery bags and then disposing them into the plastic box and then a few days later into a garbage bag.
But a few of our local grocers are planning on switching their plastic bags over to a new bag that looks pretty much the same as the regular plastic but is supposed to be environmentally friendly and is biodegradable.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I remember learning in college that because of the way that landfills work, even "green" or biodegradable containers do not degrade. This is because trash is buried below ground and compacted where the air and micro organisms needed to break it down cannot reach it. So, essentially none of this trash will break down anyway.

This means the best way to be green in this matter is to consider how much energy goes into the production and destruction of the item- so reusing plastic bags you would accumulate anyway seems to be the best choice!

I hope this helps!

[karlyb]

I use those brown paper bags that kids carry their lunch in. They're just the right size for the scoop, paper is biodegradable, and they're cheap. Fortunately, I have an area at the back of my property where I can dump the used litter as there is no trash pick-up out in the boondocks where I live. With the most recent kitty that was dropped off at my house last month (I live in the country so people think it's okay to drop off their unwanted cats here) I now have 13 cats so that is a lot of cat poop!

[CathyBogart]

We have a mini garbage can next to the box. It gets emptied once a week. It does have to be opened briefly every day, but I clean two litterboxes into it and I've never had a problem with the smell. More importantly, neither has my FMIL, who has a very sensitive sense of smell.

[columbine]

I use Yesterday's News litter, which really stops odors (unless Smudge drops a major stink bomb, in which case I'll clean the box again) and is both scoopable and light & easy to carry. And it's made out of old newspapers, so it's green too! Apparently its only drawback is that you can only find it in some places and not in others, but my nearest supermarket almost always has it, and frequently has it on sale.

Love, Columbine

[Catty1]

I use Maxx cat litter for indoor cats - 90% dust free. I also felt bad about using the plastic grocery bags...they take 100 years to break down!

Anyway, I went online and looked for BioBags in Canada - and woohoo!
I ordered the doggy ones for litter box cleaning, and kitchen ones for my kitchen garbage. And - they break down completely 40 days after being tossed. If I can find a market for compost, I'll get the indoor composter too - it stays very dry, so no stinky stuff!

My plastic grocery bags can be recycled locally. I am happy!

Oscar and Cole have little concept of the human "green", but I like this.

[columbine]

My city sells EarthMachine backyard composters to residents for cheap - there was one when I got here. I just chuck my apple cores, egg shells, avocado pits, etc. into a basket lined with newspaper, and then just throw the paper in with them (it's compostable too). There's no smell even if it gets furry in the heat, so long as no oils, meat, or bones are included (although if you don't take it out daily, you can definitely get fruit flies, and you don't want stuff getting furry if you're allergic to mold!)

Love, Columbine