Dog poop seems to be one of the biggest issues that determine where dogs may and may not go in a city. In downtown Wellington, New Zealand, dogs are banned from the city centre during daytime. There are certain areas of Wellington where they are allowed off-leash though.

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In one area of Mumbai officials are considering banning dogs completely because owners are just not picking up after them:

Dog poop is spoiling the Marine Drive, says the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), proposing to ban pets on the 4-km stretch. …

The BMC’s cleanliness and sanitation bylaws of 2006 make a pet owner responsible for clearing poop on Mumbai’s pavements. … everyday at least two violators are fined by the clean-up marshals for not clearing their dog’s poop.

…The issue came into the spotlight some two years ago when columnist Tavleen Singh refused to remove the poop of her dog. … “poop is bio-degradable and the BMC wants us to clean it up with plastic, which is not.”

Churchgate resident Tunali Mukherjee, who regularly walks her German Shepherd-Labrador cross-breed, said, “There are no dustbins on the promenade. Even if I pick up the poop where do I throw it?” she asked. …

Cities like Paris, New York and London have come up with “poop-scoop and bagger”, a pickup device that has a scoop for picking up waste and has a plastic bag lining it which can be used to remove the waste.

[Via : Proposed fiat: clean up poop or take dogs off Marine Drive.]

What do you think about the issue of using plastic bags for picking up dog poop. As we try to take plastic out of the landfills it leaves us with a bit of a dilemma. What alternatives are there to plastic bags? And what about the problem of there being no rubbish bins around?

What are your thoughts on these matters? Add them to the comments.