The Gist – "Is That BS: Compostable Dog Poop Bags"

Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Sadie Dingfelder, Author of Do I Know You?
Date: February 11, 2026
Episode Focus: Are "compostable" dog poop bags and recycled toilet paper really good for the environment, or just greenwashing BS?

Episode Overview

Mike Pesca takes on the popular belief that compostable dog poop bags are environmentally friendly, spurred by a listener’s question about potential hypocrisy in “green” pet products. Partnering with science writer Sadie Dingfelder, the episode unpacks what “compostable” really means, whether these products make any meaningful difference, and how consumers can tell sustainable claims from BS.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Do Compostable Dog Poop Bags Actually Compost?

• Listener Question (09:13): Josh from Atlanta asks whether buying compostable bags or recycled toilet paper really helps the planet, especially since it’s believed dog (and human) feces aren’t truly compostable.

• Sadie’s Short Answer:

  “Most composting centers won’t accept dog poop or human poop, but it definitely composts and it makes nice rich soil.” – Sadie Dingfelder (11:31)

  • Manure is routinely used for composting, but concerns about pathogens make dog/human poop a no-go for mainstream compost centers.
  • Compostable poop bags, while seemingly green, still end up in landfills.
  • These bags only break down in industrial-grade composting centers — not in typical landfill or home compost contexts.

• Compostable Bag Reality Check:

  “The compostable bags are always going into landfills and they are never decomposing because they don’t...they don’t really compost in composting piles. They require industrial compost centers.” – Sadie Dingfelder (12:09)

2. What Actually Happens at Composting Facilities?

• Industrial Composting Explained (13:16):

  • Compost is “ground up into a slurry” (think: “oatmeal consistency”), heated to 130–160°F, folded with wood chips, and then supplied to community gardens.

  “They just grind it up into a slurry...fold it into wood chips...and make sure the mounds heat up to 130 to 160 degrees.” – Sadie Dingfelder (13:19)

• Home Compost Piles (13:54):

  • Home composting is slow, passive, lacks the heat/churn of industrial methods, and most “compostable” bags won’t break down here at all.

  “It definitely wouldn’t turn to dirt...There’s no way. They’d just be the bag.” – Mike Pesca (14:42)

3. Is the “Compostable” Label Regulated?

• Labeling Loopholes (12:33):

  • A few agencies certify bags as “industrially compostable,” but even these are impractical for regular consumers — especially if the bag’s holding poop.

  “If there’s poop in it, you would have to peel the bag off the poop, rinse it off, and then drop it off at your local industrial composting facility.” – Sadie Dingfelder (12:44)

4. Toilet Paper: Recycled vs. Virgin Pulp

• Environmental Impact (16:15):

  • Americans use more toilet paper per capita than anywhere else — about “half a tree cut down every year” per person unless using recycled TP.
  • Old recycled toilet paper was rough, but new versions are much improved.

  “It’s really a major cause of deforestation...I stopped using the compostable doggy poo bags. And I started, I subscribed to ‘Who Gives a Crap’ toilet paper.” – Sadie Dingfelder (16:31)

  “The new ones [recycled TP] are much better, they say, but not quite as good as your premium, like Charmin, in terms of their softness. But where they’re much better, of course, is the environment, because you’re not cutting down the boreal forest of Canada.” – Sadie Dingfelder (17:15)

  • The benefit comes from sourcing (using recycled content), not from what happens after flushing.

  “It seems like you’re saying, though, all the savings with the toilet paper is not on the...back end...It’s not what happens to the toilet paper after use. It’s sourcing the toilet paper. That’s the entire environmental benefit.” – Mike Pesca (17:47)

5. Dog Waste in America: The Scale of the Problem

• Dog Poop Statistics (18:32):
  • American dogs' annual poop output could cover 1,000 football fields with a foot of waste.
  • The popularity of dogs and dog waste bags means the environmental stakes are significant.

6. Real Solutions: What’s a Conscientious Pet Owner To Do?

• What Actually Helps (19:13):

  • Consider lobbying for dog waste collection and composting infrastructure (exists in Nantucket, MA, and Brattleboro, VT).
  • Recycled plastic bags are better than “compostable” ones.

  “You can lobby your government, your local government to create a dog waste collection, which has actually been done in two places: Nantucket, Massachusetts and Brattleboro, Vermont.” – Sadie Dingfelder (19:26)

  • Local rules differ: Nantucket requires unbagged poop; Brattleboro wants compostable bags only.

7. Final Verdict: Are These Products BS?

• Compostable Poop Bags:

  “They are so bullshit. I think they’re the most bullshit thing we’ve hit.” – Sadie Dingfelder (20:21)

• Recycled Toilet Paper:

  “That’s not bullshit. We should probably all use it.” – Sadie Dingfelder (20:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Virtue Signaling Bags:

  “I do wonder. I mean, I know there is a...a lot of virtue signaling, but it just seems also so illogical.” – Mike Pesca (14:42)

• On U.S. Toilet Paper Habits:

  “Probably eat more, expel more. That probably has something to do with it.” – Mike Pesca (15:59) “And we, we use more toilet paper than anyone else. And each one of us, the average person is responsible for about half of a tree cut down every year.” – Sadie Dingfelder (16:02)

• On Pet Waste Output:

  “The amount of dog poop produced in the United States every year—1,000 football fields covered in about a foot of poop.” – Sadie Dingfelder (18:41)

• On U.S. Bathroom Culture:

  “Is there any indication that one of the reasons we use so much toilet paper is we wipe too much...?”
  “I think it’s the lack of bidets too.” – Sadie Dingfelder (19:02-19:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [09:13] Listener question sets up the compostable dog bag debate
• [10:38] Sadie Dingfelder joins and explains the compostability myth
• [11:31] Dog poop can make good compost but isn’t accepted
• [12:09] Why compostable bags don’t really decompose in practice
• [13:16] How city composting actually works
• [16:02] Toilet paper’s impact on forests
• [17:15] New recycled TP is better than the old
• [18:41] Scale of American dog poop problem
• [19:26] Realistic actions for pet owners
• [20:21] Final call: “So bullshit”

Tone & Takeaways

Pesca and Dingfelder keep the tone smart and slightly irreverent, peppered with wordplay and quick asides (e.g., “hope for the best” stump wipes, limerick attempts, puns on the “back end”). The core message: “compostable” dog poop bags, as currently used, are green theater, not a real environmental fix; recycled toilet paper really is a win.

Actionable Advice

• Skip "compostable" poop bags: If your city doesn’t collect dog poop for industrial composting, these bags do not actually help.
• Switch to recycled toilet paper: Real environmental payoff here, thanks to reduced deforestation.
• Lobby for municipal pet waste composting: Only a couple places do this, but it’s the only way the compostable bag logic works.

Episode Verdict

• Compostable dog poop bags: B.S.
• Recycled toilet paper: Not B.S.—it's a genuine environmental improvement.

For listeners who haven’t heard the full episode: The Gist’s lively, data-driven, and skeptical approach debunks some eco-friendly myths and clarifies where your consumer choices really can make a difference.