Now that dog owners are required to pick up after their pooches, the city streets and parks look and smell a little nicer. However, their cleaning method may not be earth-friendly.
Most pet owners use plastic shopping bags to clean up after their dogs, but those bags can take centuries to break down once thrown away.
Eco-conscious volunteers are helping Chicagoans take care of their planet as well as their pets.
Mike Schultz, who runs zoomagreen.org and Green Paws Chicago, donated 12,000 biodegradable bags to Puptown in Uptown's Margate Park. The bags are located in three artistic dispensers, designed by artists from Gallery B1E.
"This is part of a long campaign of re-education to get people to realize those shopping bags are not for dog waste," John Lenti, a volunteer, told the Sun-Times.
Puptown is just the first park of what Schultz hopes will be many that will stock the biodegradable bags.
"Our work is not done," said Schultz. "Hopefully, by the end of the fall, we'll have all the dog parks covered."
Local
Matt Bartosik, editor of Off the Rocks' next issue, is grateful he doesn't have to clean up after any dogs.
