Why have Forestry Bodies across the UK switched their advice from "Stick & Flick" to "Bag It and Bin It"?
While easily seen as a "natural" waste product, our dogs' poo cannot be compared to the faeces of other wild animals such as foxes.
In the simplest sense - our dogs are not a "natural" part of our ecosystems.
Changing Advice with New Research
As of 2026, all sources advocate picking up and disposing of dog waste, even when in rural or forested areas.
During our research, we even got a direct response from Forestry England stating:
"I can confirm that Forestry England no longer promotes the stick and flick message and have aligned our message to match the Countryside Code published on the gov.uk website. We are aware that there will be historic references to stick and flick but we are no longer advocating this and will look at how we can publish and promote our current advice to ‘bag and bin’ dog waste."
Let's break down why we should not be leaving our dog's poo in the environment.
Environmental Hazards & Harm to Ecosystems
Loss of biodiversity & habitat degradation
Contrary to popular belief, dog faeces is not fertilizer and does not provide any benefit to soil. Instead, grass and plants around dog poo dies.
Due to a dog's typical diet, dog poo contains extremely high nitrogen and phosphorous which unbalances normally low nutrient habitats, reducing biodiversity and harming fragile ecosystems.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency classifies dog poo an environmental pollutant, in the same category as oil spills, herbicides, insecticides, and salt from irrigation practices.
Water pollution from excess nutrients
When it rains, dog poop washed into nearby bodies of water can introduce harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites into these ecosystems. This harms aquatic life and wildlife (or humans!) that come in contact with the contaminated water.
Furthermore, the excess nitrogen mentioned above can lead to the growth of harmful algae blooms and the depletion of oxygen in waterways, which can suffocate aquatic life.
Research has found that high nutrient levels can persist even three years after dogs are banned from nature reserves and can therefore pose serious long-term risks to wildlife and their fragile habitats.
Veterinary drugs that are extremely ecotoxic
Many veterinary drugs like flea, tick and worming treatments are excreted in the faeces - sometimes in their active forms. Emerging research shows these drugs can be extremely toxic to aquatic life and nontarget insects, sometimes persisting in the environment for up to 1000 days, leading to wider impacts on our ecosystems. For example, imidacloprid (a common flea treatment for dogs) is over 7000 times more toxic to honey bees than DDT!
Health Hazards
Zoonotic disease
Dog poo can contain many pathogens such as Toxocara, Giardia, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridia, Enterococcus, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Ancylostoma and Echinococcus, all of which have zoonotic potential meaning they can cause disease in humans. Healthy dogs can shed these pathogens as these bacteria can be a normal part of a dog's intestinal flora, or in the case of Toxocara, dogs are their final host. Parasites, like Toxocara, are also extremely resilient and can survive in soil for years.
These pathogens can be transmitted to humans and other animals through contact with contaminated soil, water, or other surfaces. Children are particularly vulnerable to these pathogens, as they are more likely to play on the ground and put their hands in their mouths. If children come into contact with dog poop, they are at risk of contracting serious illnesses and even blindness.
Antibiotic resistance
Perhaps more worryingly is dog poo could help the spread of antibiotic resistance. Studies have shown an alarming percentage of dog poo contains antibiotic resistant bacteria. If left in the environment, these bacteria can transfer this resistance to soil microbes and then to humans via contaminated crops, water or direct contact with soil. Antibiotic resistance is fast becoming the defining global health issue of our time and could mean that common infections, like UTIs, could one day become fatal if antibiotics fail to work.
Is Bagging & Binning Really Better for Our Planet?
While the idea of generating waste in the form of poo bags is not ideal, picking up and appropriately disposing of our dogs' faeces is needed to protect our environment and prevent further harm to our already threatened natural ecosystems.
Using poo bags that actively help the environment, such as ReSEAcled Poo Bags, mean we reduce the harm we create by bagging and binning.
ReSEAcled Poo Bags are backed by research to show they have a small environmental footprint and they remove 5 x more plastic from the environment than used in the bag itself, meaning less plastic in nature every time you scoop a poop.
You may also consider composting your dog waste at home if you have the space and resources to do so.
Conclusion
Dog poop may seem like a harmless inconvenience, it may even seem 'natural' to leave it in the environment. But dog poo poses serious environmental and health risks.
At no point have we ever had 13 million dogs naturally roaming the English countryside and as such their poo isn't a natural part of our ecosystems.
By cleaning up after our dogs promptly and disposing of their waste responsibly, we can keep our ecosystems and communities healthy and safe and keep plastic out of our oceans if you choose ReSEAcled Poo Bags - a win for people, pets and the planet!
Advocate "Bag It & Bin It", and use poo bags that are better for our planet.
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/07/dog-pee-and-poo-harming-nature-reserves-study
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/gen_info/faqs.html
https://www.veterinaryprescriber.org/free-articles/reflecting-on-the-environmental-impact-of-parasite-treatments-what-does-the-ema-say
https://avmcww.com/2020/02/26/parasites-and-poop-the-importance-of-picking-up-after-your-dog/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/17/pet-flea-treatments-poisoning-rivers-across-england-scientists-find
https://vetsustain.org/resources/the-environmental-fate-of-pet-flea-products
Philippe J Berny, Bernadette España, Julie Auré, Julia Cado, Prolonged fecal elimination of isoxazoline antiparasitic drugs in dogs and cats: is there a risk for nontarget species?, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Volume 45, Issue 2, February 2026, Pages 490–499,
Wells, C., Collins, C.M.T. A rapid evidence assessment of the potential risk to the environment presented by active ingredients in the UK’s most commonly sold companion animal parasiticides. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 45070–45088 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20204-2
Damborg PTop J, Hendrickx APA, Dawson S, Willems RJL, Guardabassi L.2009.Dogs Are a Reservoir of Ampicillin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Lineages Associated with Human Infections. Appl Environ Microbiol75:.https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02035-08
De Graef, E. M., et al. "Antibiotic resistance among fecal indicator bacteria from healthy individually owned and kennel dogs." Microbial Drug Resistance 10.1 (2004): 65-69.
Ribeiro, J.; Lameiras, R.; Silva, V.; Igrejas, G.; Cortez Nunes, F.; Ribeiro, A.I.; Mateus, T.L.; Poeta, P. Occurrence and Characterization of Antimicrobial-Resistant and Virulent Enterococcus spp. in Dog Feces from Urban Green Spaces in Porto (Portugal). Antibiotics 2026, 15, 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15040379
