Dog Poop Disposal in South Africa: The Simple Bokashi Method

Our dogs are family, but the “landmines” on the lawn are nobody’s favourite part of owning one. Most of us scoop it into a plastic shopping packet and throw it in the dustbin.

There’s a cheaper, cleaner and greener way to deal with dog poop, and all you need is a spade, a hole in the garden and a scoop of Bokashi Bran®. Here’s exactly how to do it.

Why the plastic bag and dustbin isn’t ideal

• It costs you money. Every scoop uses a plastic packet, and with one or more dogs, that adds up every week.
• It smells. Dog poop sitting in a wheelie bin in the sun until collection day is unpleasant for you and your neighbours.
• It ends up at the dump. Wrapped in plastic, the waste is buried in landfill, where organic matter breaks down without air and releases methane, a greenhouse gas.

Your garden can handle it instead, right where it happened.

What you need

• A garden spade
• A small hole in a quiet corner of the garden
• Bokashi Bran® and a scoop
• Fallen leaves and some soil

No special kit, no bags, no bins. If you already use Bokashi Bran® in the kitchen, you have everything you need.

How to dispose of dog poop with bokashi, step by step

1. Dig a small hole in the garden, away from your vegetable patch.
2. Scoop up the poop with a garden spade when your dog has done his business, and drop it into the hole.
3. Sprinkle a scoop of Bokashi Bran® over the poop.
4. Cover it with some fallen leaves and a layer of soil.
5. Repeat each time, adding to the same hole.

The bokashi eliminates odours and speeds up the poop breaking down and disappearing back into the ground. No packets, no smelly bin and nothing sent to the dump.

Where to dig, and a few sensible precautions

• Keep it away from your veggie patch and anywhere you grow food.
• Keep pet waste out of your compost heap if you use that compost on edible plants. Bokashi-treated kitchen scraps belong in the compost; dog poop belongs in its own hole.
• Choose a corner children don’t play in.
• Wash your hands after handling pet waste, even when using a spade.
• When the hole fills up, cover it with soil and start a new one nearby.

Common questions

Do I need a special product for pet waste? No. The same Bokashi Bran® you use for kitchen scraps works for dog poop.

Can I put dog poop in my kitchen bokashi bucket? No. Keep your bucket for food scraps, and deal with pet waste directly in the garden hole.

What if my dog eats some of the bran? No need to worry. Bokashi Bran® is made with a food-grade culture, and its microbes are common in nature and do not cause disease. Dogs often like the taste!

Give it a try

A bag of Bokashi Bran®, a spade and a quiet corner of the garden: that’s your whole pet waste system. And while you’re at it, why not keep your kitchen scraps out of the bin too? Our beginner’s guide to bokashi shows you how.

Shop Bokashi Bran®

Questions? Email info@bokashibran.co.za or call 083 790 1043 / 082 456 9225.