Disposing of cat litter can be a tricky task. Not sure where to put your cat’s dirty litter? After doing some research we can advise you the only safe place for cat litter to be disposed of is in the trash can outside of your home. It is best to double bag the litter and move it to an outside location to prevent the bad smell in you home.
Why can’t I put dirty litter anywhere else?
- It is not advised to place litter inside your kitchen trash because it can have parasites in it and could contaminate other things in your kitchen.
- It is not acceptable to dispose of litter in your yard because it can contaminate ground water.
- It is the most hazardous to flush litter down your toilet. Cat litter clumps and expands when wet and can clog your pipes or damage a septic system (even the ones that say flush-able).
- Newer water saving toilets don’t use enough water or pressure to move the litter through your pipes.
- Cat waste hardens up fast and dries out, this could be difficult to move through pipes as they bend and turn.
- Flushing litter can introduce a parasite, named toxoplasma gondii, into the water supply. T. gondii is commonly found in cats and flushing this parasite down the toilet can contaminate water supply. Supply treatment centers may not be able to clean all of the parasite out of the water. This increases the possibility of a public infection. Those most at risk are children, elderly people, and pregnant women.
The EPA has classified pet waste as a pollutant that can cause harm to fish and wild life. It can kill native vegetation and cause unsafe water.
What prompted us to write this?
We received a call last week. Our customer was complaining about clogged pipes. We went to the home the same day we received the call. Upon cabling the customers line, our technician pulled back cat litter. This made us wonder how many other customers are unaware of the havoc that can be caused by litter.
Sources: https://www.epa.gov/