You don't want to give up the free plastic bags because you have a dog. He goes to the bathroom. You pick up the poop with the free plastic bag that you get when you buy groceries. I get that. I get that the cat litter goes nicely into a grocery bag and then into the trash bag. But even though you reuse those bags once the bags still end up in a landfill, buried in the dark, taking a long time to decompose around perfectly decomposable dog and cat stuff. Here are 5 alternative ideas for scooping the poop without plastic grocery bags:

1. Reuse all the other bags you get instead. Bread, bagels, donuts, vegetables, frozen foods, used ziploc bags...have you NOTICED what you throw away? Get a handy bag holder (aka a bigger bag), put it on your cabinet drawer and start collecting. And what about the big dog or cat food bag itself? Put that in a small trash can in the garage or outside and scoop all things smelly into there with a plastic cat crap scooper. Then you're just using ONE big old bag you already have anyway that you'd be throwing away.

2. Buy some compostable dog bags. Yes, buy. Because as California goes, so goes the nation - just slowly and kicking its feet - so you might as well get used to it. In California you have to BUY a plastic bag at a hefty price if you forget your reusable. Google this company's products and you'll find a plethora of places selling them: biobag

3. Compost it. Dig a small hole behind a bush and alternate the animal poop with leaves or grass clippings or kitchen scraps. This compost can be used for flower gardens and your lawn (but not your vegetable garden because of possible bacteria). Even if your subdivision bans anything that makes sense like gardens and compost piles, you can still dig a hole behind a bush, dump all the crap there, and keep it covered with a green or brown trash lid inverted with mulch on it. And the cat litter? It's just clay or silica or other BETTER tremendously earth-friendly stuff. Put it in the hole to return it to the earth it came from. Here's a great article on an even better way to create one:"Can I compost pet waste?" from Colleen Vanderlinden in About.com.

4. Buy a pooper scooper and then deliver the dirty deeds directly to the trash can. Relatively good ones can be purchased for less than $20 and they keep everything an arms length away!

5. Teach your cat or dog to use your toilet. I know it sounds silly but google it on  youtube and see it in action! It can be done!

So, forget the bags at the grocery store and get some CRESBI crates for your groceries, there are plenty of other excellent alternatives for all the crap in your life that your little buddies deal out.