HOULTON, Maine — A growing trend of dog waste popping up on people’s lawns has prompted the town of Houlton to take action.
Three dog waste containers were recently placed in the community, with the hopes that it would encourage people to pick up after their dogs while on a walk.
“The town received a couple of calls from concerned residents on Chandler Street about the amount of dog waste,” said Chris Stewart, public works director for Houlton. “The town manager reached out to me to see if there was anything we could do.”
Michelle Henderson, owner of Michelle’s Dog’on Grooming Salon on Chandler Street, was one of those people who requested a waste container in the hopes it would cut down on dog waste in her yard.
With two young children, Henderson said she was concerned about the growing problem of people not picking up after their pets.
“There are a lot of different dog scents in my yard because of my grooming business,” she explained. “I discovered I was spending more and more time cleaning up other people’s messes.”
HOULTON, Maine — July 1, 2022 — Houlton’s new dog waste containers are not to be used for traditional trash items. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Stewart did some research and found a dog waste disposal unit that could easily be installed, and later removed during the winter months. He placed an order for four stations, at a total cost of $1,000, and if these units prove successful, he may order more.
Two of the four units were placed on opposite ends of Chandler Street, while a third station was placed in Community Park. The fourth unit has yet to be placed. Each station includes a number of dog waste bags, and a bin for people to dispose of them.
Stewart said he has worked out an understanding with the two residents on Chandler Street that the town will supply fresh bags if the residents take care of emptying the bins.
Henderson said she was more than happy to dispose of the waste herself, rather than waiting an undetermined amount of time for the town to empty the bins.
“I figured it would be easier for me to do it myself,” she said. “That way, it would not smell as bad.”
However, an unfortunate scenario has already presented itself in just a few short weeks after the bins were placed, Henderson said. A couple of people have used the bins to dump personal garbage.
Henderson said she witnessed first-hand a vehicle stop in front of her yard and empty several bags of trash from their car.
“That is not OK,” she said. “Most of the people, however, are grateful and it would be wonderful to see more of these around town.”
If these units are successful, Stewart said the town would consider purchasing additional bins for other high-traffic areas.
“We don’t want to get to a point where we have, say 500, of these things all over town, but I think this could be a good solution,” he said.
