Every year, I’m stunned by the number of poop-filled bags I find tossed into the woods during the annual Hemlock Gorge cleanup. Do people think they just magically disappear?
I hadn’t thought about it until this blog thread but I do think it’s worth exploring.
Lucia
on August 29, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Dogs in Newton are supposd to be licensed, prove they were fixed, have current rabies vacs, etc. I don’t think a 1 time fee for DNA testing is unreasonable ($25-50). According to the BG article on condos who require DNA dog tests, it seems to solve the problem.
Julia Malakie
on August 29, 2013 at 1:50 pm
I think it’s reasonable, too, and I’d support it. Would really help keep the dog parks cleaner, I’d think. Only wish we could do it for smokers, so we’d know who throws cigarette butts on the sidewalk. (Joke! That bit is only my fantasy.)
Max Goldsmith
on August 29, 2013 at 2:12 pm
According to Waste Recycling News’s 2012 survey, the average tipping fee at Massachusetts landfills was $105.40 per ton. That’s $179,180 to handle Newton’s disposal of dog poo. How many dogs are actually licensed in Newton? According to the City Clerk’s office, there are about 3,500 licensed dogs plus another 1,200 with off-leash permits (which include the basic license). Please keep in mind that DNA testing may be only a $25-50 one-time fee to establish each dog’s sequence, but how much will it cost to test each dropping, match it (hopefully) against the database, and then prosecute the offender. Instead, spread over the 4,700 licensed dogs, the “dump fee” (NPI) is about $38 each. Cheaper and less Orwellian than DNA testing.
That’s heavy!
And too many people throw their poop-filled plastic bags down the storm drains. There are people that have to clean those up.
Every year, I’m stunned by the number of poop-filled bags I find tossed into the woods during the annual Hemlock Gorge cleanup. Do people think they just magically disappear?
Here is the solution to this weighty problem
So Candidate for Alderman Emily Norton are you in favor of a mandatory DNA registry for all Newton dogs?
What is the landfill tipping fee for 3.4 million lbs? Dog licenses should reflect that.
I hadn’t thought about it until this blog thread but I do think it’s worth exploring.
Dogs in Newton are supposd to be licensed, prove they were fixed, have current rabies vacs, etc. I don’t think a 1 time fee for DNA testing is unreasonable ($25-50). According to the BG article on condos who require DNA dog tests, it seems to solve the problem.
I think it’s reasonable, too, and I’d support it. Would really help keep the dog parks cleaner, I’d think. Only wish we could do it for smokers, so we’d know who throws cigarette butts on the sidewalk. (Joke! That bit is only my fantasy.)
According to Waste Recycling News’s 2012 survey, the average tipping fee at Massachusetts landfills was $105.40 per ton. That’s $179,180 to handle Newton’s disposal of dog poo. How many dogs are actually licensed in Newton? According to the City Clerk’s office, there are about 3,500 licensed dogs plus another 1,200 with off-leash permits (which include the basic license). Please keep in mind that DNA testing may be only a $25-50 one-time fee to establish each dog’s sequence, but how much will it cost to test each dropping, match it (hopefully) against the database, and then prosecute the offender. Instead, spread over the 4,700 licensed dogs, the “dump fee” (NPI) is about $38 each. Cheaper and less Orwellian than DNA testing.