Reducing our Environmental Pawprint

I’ve known for a while that clay-based kitty litter is not an environmentally friendly product. Not only does the clay have to be mined, but it does not readily break down in a landfill after disposal. When you think of the millions of domestic cats throughout the United States, the volume of litter (and therefore clay) used is staggering. In fact, approximately 8 billion pounds of litter is disposed of each year (Miller, n.d.). Plus, the kind I typically buy is packaged in heavy duty plastic buckets made from petroleum, increasing the environment "pawprint" of the product. For years, I operated under the guise that environmentally friendly litter must be impossibly expensive and unavailable.

I recently spent considerable time researching various alternatives to clay-based litter and specifically looked at the litter materials used, packaging, cost, and availability. My main goal was to find a litter made from a recycled material, packaged in a recyclable container, and reasonably priced. Just as important, I needed a litter that my cat Sukkha would be willing to use!

Right away, I found three main contenders that advertised themselves as sustainable alternatives to clay-based litter, and all of them can be found in major grocery/big box stores (for comparison, the clay-based litter I usually purchase is a 28 pound container of Arm & Hammer litter for $9.99).

Contender #1 – Purina’s Yesterday’s News ($16.99 for 30 pounds). This litter is in the form of pellets made from recycled newspaper. Another plus: the packaging is also recyclable, though the phrase “(where facilities exist)” qualifies this selling point. Fortunately, my city accepts this type of paper packaging in its recycling program. Purina’s website (http://www.yesterdaysnew.com/), complete with images of birds and trees, assures consumers that buying Yesterdays News means making a difference for your cat, your home, and the environment. I tried to ignore this bit of greenwashing. A 15 pound bag at the local grocery store costs $6.39, and a 30 pound bag at a national pet supply store costs $16.99.

Contender #2 - Nature’s Earth Feline Pine ($11.99 for 10 pounds). Although more expensive, Feline Pine asserts that its “corporate duty is to be a steward of the environment and our precious natural resources, make products that are safer and healthier for animals, utilizing pine and all-natural ingredients instead of clay.” Wow – what a statement! How could I go wrong with this product? To be sure, pine is a better material than clay, and my first assumption was that pine used in making Feline Pine was reclaimed pine waste. The first clue that reclaimed pine isn’t used was the promotion of “Pine Points”. With each purchase of Feline Pine, you earn “Pine Points”, which can be used to support animal shelters and reforestation projects (Hmmm… why reforestation projects?). Secondly, the bag displayed a label hailing the use of renewable pine. The company website (http://www.felinepine.com/) states that their product is made from “renewable southern yellow pine and natural guar.” For this reason, Feline Pine was immediately cut from the list of potential litter alternatives. As we learned in our Environmental Justice class, tree plantations in the southern U.S. have decimated local biodiversity.

Contender #3 – Swheat Scoop ($10.99 for 15 pounds). Swheat Scoop is a wheat-based litter, and I also eliminated this contender pretty quickly. The first thing one sees on the Swheat Scoop website (http://www.swheatscoop.com/) is wheat harvesting equipment suggesting that wheat is grown specifically for the manufacturing of this product (nothing on the website suggested otherwise). More importantly, the product is advertised as flushable. I spoke with a wastewater engineer friend of mine who said that cat litter can clog wastewater treatment filters. Also, cat waste contains a parasite (toxoplasma) whose eggs survive and pass through the wastewater treatment process and can contaminate waterways. Apparently, this is bad news for seals. Plus, if the parasites get into drinking water, they can cause brain damage to unborn human babies (E. Lynch, personal communication, February 5, 2011). Well, that settled it, Swheat Scoop was also eliminated. Theoretically, I wouldn't have to flush this litter, but I don't want to support a company that suggests this method of disposal.

And the winner is……..Yesterday’s News!

Yesterday's News is a bit more expensive than the clay-based litter I use, but the benefits are clear. Not only can Yesterday's News be found in two of my local stores, it's made from recycled material, and I can recycle the package. Additionally, if I use a paper bag to clean the waste from the litter box, the waste going to the landfill will quickly decompose. Plus, Sukkha also approved of the switch!

References:
E. Lynch (personal communication, February 5, 2011). Provided information on impacts of cat
waste on wastewater treatment and water quality

Feline Pine’s website: http://www.felinepine.com/

Miller, M.A. (n.d.). Cat litter – the dust settles. Retrieved from
http://www.thecatsite.com/Snips/107/Cat-Litter-The-Dust-Settles.html

Swheat Scoop’s website: http://www.swheatscoop.com/

Yesterday’s News website: http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/