interview: dog waste composting entrepreneur Rose Seeman

Dog waste is a growing problem in many urban areas, and dog waste collection businesses have sprung up across North America to address the problem of responsible disposal. Rose Seeman is a pioneer in a new form of environmentally forward-looking, permaculture-friendly business: dog waste composting. Her Denver-area company, Envirowagg, began with collections and took it to the next level, producing a safe, horticulturally useful product, Doggone Good Compost. I asked her about how she got started with this canine-powered variation on upcycling. Here, she also relays some of the information that can be found in more detail on her fascinating web site, http://envirowagg.com 

For more on the subject of dog waste environmental issues and horticultural applications, see my article in the July/August 2011 issue of BackHome Magazine.

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When did you start Envirowagg and what was your inspiration?

I started EWagg with an idea in May 2007. Dog waste collections for a pilot program began in September 2007. I have several partners/associates now.
I was having lunch at a park near my job and reading Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins. At one point I looked up and saw people bending and popping back. It reminded me of those little glass birds filled with colored liquid that bob up and down over a cup of water. I saw that they were scooping up their dog's poop. Then I started to wonder what happened to all that poop...which is organic and must be good for something.
What was your prior educational and vocational background?
I studied to be an English teacher and wandered into marketing, sales and association management. At one point I worked for Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and felt a real affinity for people who work with soil and plants. I've gardened and composted all my life, even when I had no idea what I was doing.
Can you give a little history about how the project grew?
EnviroWagg teamed up with the City and County of Broomfield and the City of Westminster (just north of Denver) to start pilot programs at two off-leash dog parks. The parks departments set up separate containers -- one for dog waste and a second for other trash. They put up dispensers with oxo-biodegradable bags and lots of very visible signs explaining the program. We collected close to half a ton a month at each park and experimented with composting for a year before coming up with a recipe and process that resulted in a pathogen-free product with high nutritional value for plants.
Doggone Good Compost was test marketed during the 2009 growing season and is now on sale at retail stores in the Denver metro area. We'll keep exploring options for making the product better in terms of quality and efficient processing. Our compost professional is very passionate about continually improving the product until it outperforms other soil amendments.
Were there concerns about dog waste in the environment in the Denver area or elsewhere in Colorado?
Dog waste is a huge problem here in Denver and all over the country, especially in urban and suburban areas. Dog parks throughout the metro area are trying to get people to stoop and scoop without much luck. Disagreements are continually breaking out between dog owners and other park visitors. Our beautiful hiking trails are dotted with poo and plastic pick-up bags. Fecal coliform pollution is a problem where recreational waterways are near dog parks. Colorado dogs generate around 96,000 tons of waste. Around half of it is left on the ground and the other half goes into landfills.
Raw untreated canine manure contains dangerous pathogens that seep into waterways to contaminate shores and drinking water. It's not like wildlife scat, which is distributed widely and results from different feeding patterns. Dog waste is concentrated at smaller sites. In addition to contributing to water pollution, raw dog waste that is not picked up kills landscaping and is a potential health hazard.

The Poo to Posies program described on your web site sounds exciting and idealistic. Can you explain how it works?

You're right - it was idealistic, and we learned from our first try at this program. The original concept was to give the nonprofits a chance to make revenue by selling Doggone Good Compost, without a loss for EnviroWagg. All of the local nonprofits that I contacted were happy to hear about the process and the product. But we found that most groups just don't have the volunteer power to handle pre-sales. They are busy at the grassroots level saving one pet at a time and caring for them. Our hearts were in the right place but we needed to learn more about how nonprofits operate.
It's really an annual early spring campaign - that's when people are digging up their gardens and need compost. I had no "takers" for this year, but I'm running into the rescue and shelter people I talked to earlier and I think it is sinking in as a possibility. So I'll take the campaign around the block again for Spring 2011 to see if anybody gives it a biscuit.

I understand that there are two major goals for dog waste composting, not always met:

1. adequate killing-off of pathogens, particularly E. coli and roundworm, and 2. production of a product that provides a quality soil amendment with adequate nitrogen, etc. Is that accurate? Anything else?

The EPA sets the standards for roundworm (no viable helminth ova eggs) plus there must be acceptably low levels of coliforms or acceptably low levels of Salmonella. Once that standard is met, it means that all the other harmful microbes have been eliminated. To kill the bugs you need to ensure that every bit of the compost is exposed to temperatures of 145 F or higher for an extended period. The finished compost is also tested to ensure that there is enough nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for healthy plants. Achieving a good pH is also important. Dog waste is high in salts and ammonia, so those also need to be controlled.

How does the nitrogen content of dog waste compare to the farm animal manures commonly used in gardening and agriculture? Is the nitrogen content retained through the composting process?
Carnivore waste is higher in nitrogen and also much "hotter" than herbivore waste, so it heats up a compost pile fast. But it also kills plants if the raw waste is applied directly. Nitrogen content of herbivore barnyard animal waste varies. Cat and dog manure, as excreted, contains about two and a half times as much nitrogen as cattle manure - so that's a big leap. But once raw animal waste starts cooking during the composting process, nitrogen can be lost or maintained depending on many factors. A good compost professional knows how to manage the process and tweak it to get better results.

On your web site you refer to composting "by professionals under large-scale commercial conditions"? Can you describe the process and the equipment used?

A large scale composter uses windrows or covered composting systems that involve large turners (see photo), tumblers and vented cylinders as tall as greenhouses made of sheet plastic. But we were starting with a relatively small quantity -- only about 14 tons of dog waste, much of it contained in either plastic or biodegradable bags. The raw material was ground to break up the bags, then mixed with a bulking material and natural enzymes to speed the composting process. Because of the project's small scale, we used a static pile approach, making sure that the material was turned and temperature monitored. We experimented with ingredients to get the texture right.

How much material is composted at a time, how does it change in volume, and how long does it take to finish a batch?

Our first batch was 14 tons of dog waste plus a roughly equal amount of bulk (pine bark). Compost is reduced by around half through the process. It took us a year the first time out, but we will be reducing that turnaround time and increasing volume when we get our in-vessel tumbler up and running. We will be taking the process to a new level...again, learning by doing, since this is all so new.

How have communities responded to your projects?

People and pets frequenting the two pilot parks in Broomfield, Englewood and Westminster love it! Our newest park, Trail Winds Dog Park in Thornton, has support from the city government and the Parks Department, as well as a volunteer group and local businesses.

One more thing—readers will surely want to know: do you have a dog?

I love dogs but currently have a cat named Max who sprays when he sees a dog on TV. Everyone else involved either has a doggie partner or is involved in a business that caters to dogs. Max sniffs me suspiciously every time I come in the door.