Dog dropping bags mooted

A CLYDE resident has suggested the Central Otago District Council sell special bags to help fix the district’s dog poo problem.

At the Vincent Community Board meeting last week, Pat Tyrrell said her sister posted her plastic bags the Dunedin City Council (DCC) sold to dog owners as they were not supplied in Central Otago.

‘‘The reason I brought the bags along was to show the council an option they might like to look at to address dogs fouling within our towns,’’ she said.

A DCC spokeswoman confirmed the council sold bundles of 25 plastic bags for $2.50 specifically for picking up dog poo.

The bags were not biodegradable.

Central Otago District Council planning and environment executive manager Louise van der Voort said bags were probably not the answer to the problem.

‘‘We could certainly look at making bags available for purchase. However, it is questionable whether dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs would change their behaviours because they have the opportunity to purchase a special bag.’’

The council was already running a campaign this year to encourage people to remove dog droppings.

In January, a resident delivered a ‘‘parcel of poop’’ to the Central Otago District Council’s office in Alexandra.

Following this, the council launched a campaign titled ‘‘Scoop that Poop’’, sending a text to nearly 2000 dog owners encouraging them to remove their dog’s droppings in public places.

In the district, dog owners were required to pick up after their dogs and if not could receive a $300 fine.