World-Environment-Day-2020-How-to-be-an-eco-friendly-and-sustainable-pet-parent

World Environment Day 2020: Follow these simple and effective ways to be an eco-friendly and sustainable pet parent. Read on to know more.

Living an eco-friendly and sustainable life is something every pet parent should work towards. Especially under current circumstances, the production and use of many single-use plastics such as face masks and gloves have skyrocketed, contributing greatly to a global waste problem. Being sustainable is not actually very complicated and could be as easy as following the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Some simple points to consider for pet parents:

Food: This is a very important and daily decision. As a pet parent, you should try and avoid brands that put a lot of artificial inputs into your pet’s food. Not only is this bad for your pets, but it is also bad for the environment. There are many options for organic food that’s available today and that is something one should focus on. Also, it’s advisable to understand your pet’s eating habits well, so avoid making extra meals that go into your dustbin. Please note that this dustbin meal could always be given to a stray, so instead of throwing it, wrap it in some old newspaper and save it for a stray.

Pet Paraphernalia: One of the biggest problems is that of clothes, beds, leashes and many other pet paraphernalia. With brands becoming more environmentally conscious, the availability of eco-friendly products has significantly increased. I would urge pet parents to take this route rather than purchasing low quality, non-biodegradable products that have a short life and reach the waste cycle sooner. Consider dog leashes that are made from bamboo or hemp. These products are of very high quality, look great, and are designed to minimize any discomfort to the animal. Their leather or plastic counterparts on the other hand have a very significant environmental impact. What is also really important here is to reuse items, donate them if you have no use for them or find a new purpose for them. For pet parents whose pups have grown up, if you’re planning on getting a second one then keeping the first pups belongings in good shape is a great idea. There are many animal NGO’s that also welcome the donation of such products. All said and done, anything is better than throwing these items into the trash. 

Adopting: Adoption from shelter homes plays a huge role in this aspect. The overgrowing population of dogs and cats in our country is of serious concern and I would greatly urge anyone thinking of getting a new pet to adopt and not shop! 

Dealing With The Poop: In India, especially, this is a big problem given the number of strays and parents who don’t pick up after their pets. Your pup’s poop is harmful to the environment and should not be left on the road. There are many solutions to this from using pooper scoopers which are great as they can be washed and reused to using poop bags. When using poop bags it is very important to consider using eco-friendly bags, or even a newspaper serves as a better option than non-recyclable black plastic bags. For certain types of locations, even composting offers a great solution to this problem.

This world environment day, take a little step towards becoming a little more eco-friendly pet parent than you were yesterday. 

Originally Publish at: https://www.pinkvilla.com/