Seattleites debate dog poop trash bin etiquette

Axios

08-08-2025

Seattleites have strong opinions on where dogs' poop should go, judging by recent responses to our asking whether it's OK to toss doggy doo bags into a neighbor's trash can.
The big brown picture: Readers are divided on whether other people's curbside bins are fair game for disposing of dog waste or whether those little poo bags should be hauled to a public receptacle — even if that public bin is some distance away.
Between the lines: One Axios Seattle reader, Leah Anderson, told us she regularly carries her border collie's "not insignificant bag of poop" for a good half-mile or more to avoid dropping it in another person's garbage bin.
On the rare occasions she's used someone's home trash bin, she wrote, "I felt like I was breaking some kind of rule."
"What rule? I don't know."
Several readers said it could be OK to toss a poop-filled bag into someone's household garbage bin on the day it's set out to the curb for collection.
Even so, if that bin sitting on the curb has already been emptied, adding a poo bag at that point would be a faux pas, many said.
"It will sit there for a week stinking up the bin," one reader wrote in an email.
Wandering onto someone's property to find their trash bin was also generally considered a no-no.
Others were adamant that dog owners have an obligation to transport that dookie back home, no matter the distance.
Some said dog owners shouldn't even use public trash cans on the sidewalk to dispose of dog poop. (Confession: I toss my dog's crap in such bins regularly.)
"The poop is the dog owner's property," wrote reader Tom Bekey, who added that owners should "consider the smell" and how employees of nearby businesses could be exposed to it.
"One and only way to deal with dog poop is to TAKE IT HOME."
And definitely don't drop it in a trash can at a bus stop, one reader wrote.
Yes, but: Some said they'd rather find random dog poop in their home trash bins than underfoot.
"The dog poop could end up somewhere way worse!" wrote reader Lacey Meaux, whose home trash bin has occasionally hosted others' poop bags.
Others have come up with creative solutions. One person reported using a bag with divided compartments to help transport dog poop home.
Another reader, Milana McLead, uses a plastic holder called a " Dooloop" to help carry dog poop bags and attach them to a dog's leash — no hands required.