Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why Do We need to Clean up Dog Poop?

A: Pet waste can spread diseases through soil contamination, and harms local water supplies. Parasites, bacteria, and viruses are not destroyed during the composting process, and these can be passed to humans through contact.

In urban areas rats also eat dog poop. A poop filled yard can bring additional pests, and problems to your home.

Q: How much dog poop is in my community

A: According to census data1, and an estimated 36.5 percentage of howmeowners owning dogs2, there are approximately 863,235 dogs in the greater Chicagoland Area. Dogs poop, on average .75lbs per day3.

In Chicagoland, there is an estimated 236,310,542 lbs of dog poop each year! That’s 118155.271 tons! That’s the equivalent of over 9,452 school busses!

 

County Population Estimated Dog Population Dog Poop Per Day (in lbs) Dog Poop Per Year (in lbs)
Cook 1,974,181 720,576 540,432 197,257,698
Will 167,542 61,153 45,865 16,740,587
McHenry 89,403 32,632 24,474 8,933,036
Kane 133,901 48,874 36,655 13,379,221
Total 2,365,027 863,235 647,426 236,310,542

 

 

1: http://www.census-charts.com/HF/Illinois.html
2: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx)
3: http://clearchoicescleanwater.org/uploads/88/docs/8800pet_waste_FAQs.pdf

Q: What is the best way to dispose of my pet’s poop?

A: Dog poop does not compost well. As a pet owner, it’s important you help eliminate any threat to soil or water contamination from dog poop by disposing of the waste properly. Pooperscooper recommends that you use a plastic bag, tie the top, then place the waste into a second plastic bag before placing it in your garbage to be taken to a landfill. Double bagging the waste will ensure there is no contamination possibility for your garbage collector.

Q: Can’t I just leave dog poop to be absorbed by my yard, and let nature take its course?

A: Dog poop may contain parasites, viruses and bacteria that are not destroyed by decomposition. In order for your dog waste to compost safely, it must be heated at a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for five days!

Dog poop also piles up much faster than it decomposes. Letting too much poop accumulate will cause damage to your lawn, and can effect the soil and groundwater. Leaving too much dog poop around also creates an environment favorable to parasites, viruses, bacteria, and can attract rodents like rats.

Let Pooper Scoopers take care of the problem for you!

Q: Can I choose the day of service?

A: Unfortunately, no. Our scoopers have routes similar to your garbage service. They are scheduled to service certain areas on certain days, so it is not always possible to accommodate your scheduling request.

If you do have a special service date request, we will work with you to see if exceptions can be made.

Q: When will you bill me?

A: We will charge your account following the first service date, and recurring monthly on the same day each subsequent month.

Q: How much will I be billed for the first month?

A: The amount due is dependent on your service type, as well as the number of dogs you own. In addition to the standard monthly charge, you will be charged an additional $45 initiation fee for the first month (if applicable).

Please see our pricing information here.

Q: Are there any contracts?

A: No! You can call us to cancel at any time.

Q: Do you scoop year round?

A: Yes! When the weather turns cold our foreman will send out our winter scoop procedures.

Q: Do you take payment other than Credit or Debit cards?

A: We typically take only credit or debit in order to automate your monthly payments. If you need to use an alternative payment method, give us a call, and we’ll see what we can do.

Q: How do you figure your monthly charges?

A: There are 4.3 weeks per month on average (see calculations below). Rather than charge by unique month, we average the cost per month throughout the year.

For every other week cleanup you are paying less than weekly cleanup since the poop gets picked up less often.

How we calculate average weeks per month:

Days in A Year Months in A Year Days Per Month Days In a Week Avg. Weeks Per Month
365 ÷ 12 = 30.4 ÷ 7 = 4.3