Leaving dog poop in a neighbor's bin? It's a legal gray area
But can you legally dispose of that doodie in your neighbor's trash can? The rules vary from city to city.
Why it matters: The dog poop debate has divided our readers, so we went digging for answers.
Catch up quick: People opposed to letting dog owners leave poop bags in residential trash bins say it violates their private property rights and could be a slippery slope to more serious illegal dumping.
Those in favor argue that the expanded access to trash cans will help keep neighborhoods free of feces and doesn't hurt anyone if the trash is already wheeled out for pickup.
In an Axios poll, a majority of respondents said they dropped their poop bags off in public waste bins or at their own homes.
What we found: We asked Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami, Miami Beach and Coral Gables what is allowed.
🚫 Miami-Dade: County code says it's "generally prohibited to dispose of waste in someone else's residential garbage container without the property owner's permission," spokesperson Jennie Lopez says.
"This includes items such as bagged dog waste."
The code applies to unincorporated Miami-Dade and the cities that receive county trash services, like Doral, Miami Gardens and Pinecrest.
Yes, but: Robert Vargas, a spokesperson for the county's waste management department, tells Axios the county prioritizes the enforcement of more serious illegal dumping, like the improper disposal of mattresses and tires.
"This isn't something that we really actively enforce. Normally, it's a neighbor-to-neighbor type of thing," Vargas said, adding that the county doesn't receive many complaints about poop bag disposal.
Penalty: a $250 fine.
🚫 Miami Beach: " The action of someone placing their trash in another's trash can may be construed as illegally disposing/dumping your trash and that can be cited," city spokesperson Melissa Berthier wrote in an email.
Penalty: a $500 fine for a first offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses, per city code.
✅ City of Miami: There are no laws that ban throwing out trash in a neighbor's bin, per spokesperson Kenia Fallat.
🚫 Coral Gables: The city last year banned throwing out dog poop in the trash pits, reserved for lawn clippings and bulky waste, that are located on the swales in front of some single-family homes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
8 hours ago
- Axios
Inside San Francisco's new restorative justice hub
Every inch of San Francisco's first restorative justice center is designed for healing — from the cozy reading nooks and colorful communal spaces to the comfy lounge-style chairs and art displays telling stories of survival. The big picture: Community Works ' new 6,000-square-foot space in the SoMa is one of the nation's few hubs focused on providing support rooted in restorative justice to youth affected by the criminal justice system, survivors of domestic violence and formerly incarcerated people. What they're saying:"We were built on a foundation of restorative practices and art," Adrienne Hogg, co-executive director of Community Works, told Axios. "It's important to have good quality furniture and furnishings, so that when you come here, you can feel like you belong, that this is a space for you." Between the lines: The space, which officially opened last week, offers reentry assistance for adults, therapy for teens, a youth diversion program and support for children of incarcerated parents, among other services, with the capacity to serve between 1,500 to 2,000 people annually. More than 80% of participants are people of color and 75% of staff have lived experience with incarceration or system involvement, Hogg said. The goal is to curb incarceration rates and the criminal justice system's toll on low-income communities of color through a process rooted in resolution and accountability rather than punishment. The latest: The Bay Area-based organization partnered with the architecture firm Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS) to establish its first location in the city, expanding upon programming offered at jails, prisons and their longtime hub in Oakland. Follow the money: Getting the center up and running cost just $600,000 — down from an estimated $1.2 million — thanks to pro bono work from Turner Construction and donations from furniture vendors and other partners, Hogg said. Zoom in: Jakaela Foster, a 26-year-old east Oakland native, started as a participant in Project What!, which supports children of incarcerated parents, when she was 15 years old before later becoming a coordinator in the program. She's gained confidence and new skills and takes pride in continuing to be involved as program leader to support Black youth, she said. "'The most common way to give up your power is by believing that you don't have any,'" Foster said, quoting poet Alice Walker. "I feel like that's a great summary of what Project What! did for me as a young person — they taught me that I do have power."
Axios
10 hours ago
- Axios
Calls grow for unity to solve Iowa's nitrate crisis
Persistent wet weather has increased nitrate leaching from farm fields into rivers and is the main cause of the metro's prolonged water crisis this summer, Matt Helmers, director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, tells Axios. Why it matters: The consequences are apparent this year, but the problem has been getting worse for decades. Understanding it can help unify the state to achieve lower nitrate levels more quickly, urban, farm and public utility advocates tell Axios. Catch up quick: Nitrate levels at key water intake points surpassed the federal drinking water limit of 10 mg/L for about 40 more days this year compared with 2024 — a near-record period, according to data from Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW). The DSM metro is also the fastest growing in the Midwest, creating a situation in which water utilities are struggling to remove enough nitrates to meet demand. Flashback: In 2015, DSM Water Works — a member of Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) — sued three northwest Iowa counties and multiple drainage districts in federal court, alleging they violated the Clean Water Act by not better controlling nitrates. The legal battle caused political division before a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2017, concluding that the widespread problems are for the Iowa Legislature to address. State of play: Metro water utilities have been working on nitrate removal expansions for years, with new projects expected to come online in 2026, CIWW executive director Tami Madsen tells Axios. Farmers are deploying dozens of types of projects like precision nitrogen management through the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, an on-farm trail program at Iowa State University. The use of cover crops in Iowa has grown from 50,000 acres in 2010 to over 4 million acres this year. Friction point: The work needs to be greatly expanded, environmental advocates such as Polk County Conservation director Rich Leopold tell Axios. The intrigue: Nearly two-thirds of Iowans voted in 2010 to amend the constitution and establish the Natural Resources and Outdoors Recreation Trust Fund — a permanent funding source for clean water, outdoor recreation, and habitat projects. Yes, but: There's still no money because the Legislature has not increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of a cent to fund it. Gov. Kim Reynolds identified funding the Trust Fund as a top priority in early 2020, which would generate an estimated $220 million annually for outdoor improvements. The effort stalled just a few weeks later amid the economic uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, and questions about its future have largely been postponed to future Condition of the State addresses. Inside the room: Polk County Supervisors Chairperson Matt McCoy, a Democrat and former state senator, called on the Legislature to act on the trust fund during a July 1 meeting when the county publicly released its 200-plus-page river report.
Axios
3 days ago
- Axios
Ga. State to demolish nearly 100-year-old building in MLK Historic District
More than two months after a tense public hearing on a proposal to demolish a nearly 100-year-old building for its campus expansion project, Georgia State University will move ahead with tearing down the building. Why it matters: The old substation at 148 Edgewood Ave. is within the local Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District, and preservationists say demolishing such structures will make it harder to tell Atlanta's history through those spaces. The latest: The university confirmed to Axios that "after careful evaluation and public input," it will tear down the "long-vacant" building to construct what it calls a Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza. The plaza will serve as greenspace for students who reside in its Greek life housing development. A mural will also be installed to honor the history of the building and celebrate Greek groups on campus, GSU said. What they're saying: GSU added it will salvage the brickwork from 148 Edgewood and incorporate it into the new space "as a tribute to its legacy." It also said the $12 million estimate to renovate 148 Edgewood for reuse "outweighs its limited ability to benefit students and faculty." The other side: David Y. Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center and an opponent of GSU's plan, said in a statement to Axios that his organization hoped GSU would have given the building "the respect it has both earned and been recognized with." "Destroying this building will remove yet one more of the structures that somehow survived and visually represents how we became Atlanta." Catch up quick: Residents and historic preservationists began raising concerns about GSU's plans last year and created a petition to raise awareness. A contentious public hearing and open house was held May 28 where GSU officials and Greek life students debated with residents and other stakeholders whether to reuse or demolish 148 Edgewood. Zoom out: Demolishing the old substation, as well as Sparks Hall at 33 Gilmer St., is part of GSU's larger, long-range plan to create a " true college town downtown." A Panther Quad, which will rise in place of Sparks Hall, will feature additional greenspace that will connect to the campus' existing greenway. Gilmer Street will be transformed into a car-free zone to improve connectivity with Hurt Park, GSU officials previously told Axios. Flashback: The 148 Edgewood building was constructed as a substation in 1926 by the company now known as Georgia Power to supply electricity to Downtown, Kyle Kessler, a resident who opposes the demolition, told Axios last year.
