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More than half a million doggy poop bags used each year on the West Shore

Pet owners in Langford use roughly 320,000 bags per year
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Saanich stopped purchasing dog waste bags for dispensers this spring. A take-a-bag, leave-a-bag system has since taken its place in locations around the district. (Wolfgang Depner/ News Staff)

The West Shore goes through approximately 640,000 dog waste bags per year.

The City of Langford estimates that 320,000 doggy bags are purchased each year.

Metchosin does not provide doggy pickup bags, but according to Eric Meridith, who works in Public Works with the District, said they continue to pick up used doggy bags in the area.

“I cannot comprehend why they go to the effort of picking it up then tossing it next to a building [or] bushes on the side of the road,” Meridith said.

This problem is similar to many other municipalities in B.C., including Saanich, faced this past spring.

RELATED: Stuff hits the fan over discarded poop bags

District of Saanich stopped purchasing dog waste bags in May 2017, after it was decided that spending $10,000 per year on dog bags wasn’t financially sustainable.

READ MORE: Saanich pulls dog waste bags from local parks

The Town of View Royal orders 200,000 bags per year at a cost of $7,300. Those fill 20 doggy bag dispensers, four of them at View Royal Park. Dave Podmoroff, View Royal Parks Supervisor, said View Royal Park is the most popular park for dog walkers in the community due to the large off-leash area around the looping trail in the middle of the park.

In Colwood, Eagle Rise and Glenview animal hospitals donate the 120,000 doggy bags for the 20 dispensers throughout Colwood. The animal hospitals have been providing doggy bags to the City of Colwood since 2013 and contributed 10 of the dispensers. Eagle Rise and Glenview doubled the City’s dispensers from 10 to 20.


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lindsey.horsting@goldstreamgazette.com