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Animal Waste to Energy Conversion

In the search for cleaner, sustainable energy sources, researchers have unearthed…poo power.

Yes, taking Fido for a walk could soon produce the energy you need to light your stove or heat your home – and cut down on some of the stink at your local landfill at the same time.

It’s not an entirely new idea – several European countries, US and Canadian farms, and third world countries already rely on animal waste as a source of energy. But now cities such as San Francisco, are thinking about putting dog doo to work for them.

The poo would be collected in drop-off bins at popular dog parks, then put through a methane digester (like a compost) and turned into biogas. Each ton of dung could produce about $20 to $30 worth of energy.

It would also cut down on the load at local landfills. Studies show pet poo makes up roughly 4% of all household garbage collected.

And it would solve another problem for pet owners: What to do with those stinky little bags!

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org