Puppy Poop Power in Waterloo

Every year, City of Waterloo staff routinely empty about 300 garbage cans from parks and trails, filled with 80% dog waste.

There are many reasons why dog poop causes problems:

• Poop bags are visible to the public and not contained
• Overflowing cans make parks smell and look awful
• Cans are extremely heavy, making it difficult and sometimes dangerous for staff to empty the cans safely
• Health and safety concerns for workers being potentially exposed to waste when they empty the cans

 Sutera , the maker/creator of the poop power container worked with the City of Waterloo to try something new: underground storage containers that would keep dog waste separate from other garbage so it could be recycled to create POWER! 

• The City of Waterloo is the first municipality in the world to introduce this system.
• Using this system Waterloo dog owners have diverted the most waste – in Ontario – away from the landfill.  

Since 2017, City of Waterloo has installed 23 poop power containers across the city. Thanks to the responsible dog owners who use these containers, over 91,000 lbs of dog waste has been diverted from our local landfill. Thank you!

In 2017 we installed the first test containers in three parks:

• Bechtel Dog Park
• St. Moritz Park
• Lakeshore Optimist Park

The official unveiling took place at the leash-free dog park at Bechtel Park.

St. Moritz Park backs onto Edna Staebler Public School. City staff had received numerous complaints of dog owners letting their dogs off-leash in the park and on the school property, and leaving dog poop on the ground. We received a letter of thanks from a kindergarten class at Edna Staebler Public School. This letter was instrumental in getting the poop power container at St. Moritz Park.

Lakeshore Optimist Park was selected as the third location to spread the test locations around the city. 

Dog owners loved the containers so much that Poop Power expanded to five more locations in 2018, another five in 2019, and an additional nine in 2021! There are now 22 locations across Waterloo.

• McCrae Park
• Rolling Hills Park
• Chesapeake Park
• Old Post Park
• Moses Springer Park

• Red River Park
• Mary Allen Park
• Pinery Trail Park
• Vista Hills Park
• Waterloo Park East

• New Hampshire Park
• Bechtel Park
• Waterloo Park West
• Beechdrops Park
• Dunvegan Park
• Regency Park
• Columbia Forest Park (Forested Hills-ESPA 19)
• Westvale Park
• Anndale Park

The puppy poop containers are installed with their storage underground. Bad odour is not a problem because the waste is stored deep underground at a cool temperature. Dog owners pick up dog waste and drop it into the container from the opening in the top. You can use any type of bag for the poop power container, the bag does not have to be compostable.

A dog waste removal company uses special trucks to lift and empty the containers, and the waste is transported to a facility where it is converted into energy. The  waste-to-energy process  reduces greenhouse gases and helps address climate change.

Using the poop power container is one small way dog owners can contribute to a healthy, environmentally friendly, quality of life for all residents of Waterloo. 

Thank you dog owners! Here is the estimated positive change you, and your dog’s poop, have made on the environment from 2017: 

• 91,687 lbs diverted from the landfill
• 1.16 tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere
• Enough energy to power 24.36 homes

Join the Poop Power movement. A huge thanks to all the responsible dog owners who use the poop power containers every day! 

Nobody wants to see dog poop along a trail or in a park. Owning a dog means you clean up after it! What are your options?

• Use any bag and throw the dog poop in a poop power container.
• Use a compostable bag and take the dog poop home to your green bin.   (It won’t make any poop power, but you’re still being responsible and diverting it from the landfill for composting.)

If you don’t have a green bin at home, contact the  Region of Waterloo  to learn how to get one. 

Your dog. Your responsibility. Please be respectful to your neighbours and the community. Pick up your dog poop and join the Poop Power movement!