Dog owners are increasingly hanging poo bags from trees and leaving them on paths to avoid touching ‘disgusting’ bins, according to anti-litter campaigners.
Britain’s most beautiful natural areas are being sullied by inconsiderate walkers leaving their pet’s excrement behind – even when they are just metres away from waste bins.
Litter pickers have found dozens of poo bags near bins over Christmas, while one nature reserve even issued a plea for people not to fling poo bags ‘high into trees and bushes’.
Emma Powell of Keep Britain Tidy said that people are increasingly put off touching bins since becoming more aware of germs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘There is this element of revulsion and disgust because they are overly concerned about bacteria,’ she told The Telegraph.
A dog owner walks under a tree adorned with filled plastic bags in Todmorden, to highlight the problem of dog owners littering British Waterways’ tow paths (file image)
New Forest ranger Naomi collected dozens of bags of discarded poo, all of which she said she found within 400m of the car park – which has a bin
Walker around the UK have shared pictures of dog poo bags hanging from trees on their walks
In the New Forest, a ranger who last did litter picking rounds just before Christmas reported finding 63 poo bags in just a small area.
As well as other forms of litter, park worker Naomi collected the dozens of bags of discarded poo, all of which she said she found within 400m of the car park – which has a bin.
‘Picking up after your dog is as important in the countryside as it is in town – left it may harm wildlife & livestock, pollute our waterways, impact soil ecology and wild plants, or just spoil someone else’s day! Please #BagItBinIt.
‘The bin it part is essential – bags kill animals,’ New Forest rangers wrote on X.
Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve near Chichester, which is run by Natural England, regularly posts about walkers leaving their pets’ waste behind.
They have shared pictures of dog poo bags hanging from high trees and bushes, and issued a ‘plea from the trees’ in October asking people not to chuck their bags into the woodland.
It shared another picture last year of a bin overflowing with dog poo bags, which it said ‘may not look the prettiest sight’ but was a good sign and protecting the natural habitat.
Kingley Vale National Park near Chichester shared a picture of a bin overflowing with dog poo bags
‘It is really important to bag and bin your dog poo,’ the nature reserve explained. ‘Chalk grasslands are a nutrient poor environment, and the addition of dog waste can alter the composition of the soil, threatening these rare and wonderful habitats.
‘In addition, the chemicals often added to dog food can cause havoc to the environment once deposited, affecting water sources and making wildlife, which may eat it, very ill.’
‘Also, the dog poo fairy doesn’t exist so please don’t hang them in trees!’
The park says it works with Chichester Council ‘who regularly empty the bins’.
Dog walkers have also shared their disgust, with one in Port Talbot posting about her grim discovery of a bag hanging from a branch, asking on Facebook: ‘Why do people hang bags of poo in the poor trees?’
‘If you can’t be bothered to make the short footsteps to the bin surely it’s better to leave it on the ground so wildlife can eat it?’
One walker in Oldham, Manchester, shared his disgust at the apparent increase in bags being hung up in his area, labelling them: ‘Christmas Tree Baubles For Idiots.’
Brits across the country have reported bags of dog poo being left behind by walkers. Pictured: Poo bags on a footpath near St Enodoc Golf Course, Cornwall last year
A dog poo dump created by ‘lazy’ pet owners in Newport, Wales. Picture taken last year
The resident posted a picture of a black sack hanging from a branch, asking: ‘Why is that every walk around the countryside these days is a seemingly endless procession of dog poo bags hanging from trees?’
Leaving behind dog waste is not only anti-social behaviour, it is also illegal, with local authorities fining people who discard their pet’s waste hundreds of pounds in some cases.
Many dog poo bags are made from plastic which can take years to biodegrade, and while brands are increasingly selling ‘compostable’ options, expert say even these can take several years to break down.
Litter picker Laura Van Toller from Evesham, Worcs, said: ‘By leaving out a dog poo bag, they are doing more harm than if they had just left the poo.’
The National Trust has said it is working to address ‘the rise in discarded dog poo’.
A spokesman said: ‘We’ve been addressing this by increasing the number of waste bins at our places, promoting our canine code of conduct and asking our visitors to bag and bin dog poo or take it home.’