Neighborhood

Pick up Pet Waste

Picking up after your pet, whether at home or around town, can help to prevent significant water pollution. When pet waste is left on our streets and lawns, it can be picked up by stormwater runoff and washed into storm drains and nearby water bodies. Since storm drains in Burlington do not connect to treatment facilities, untreated animal feces that enters the storm drain system washes into our streams, causing significant water pollution and health issues.

Ways to Dispose of Pet Waste Appropriately

  • Pet waste can be bagged and thrown into the trash.
  • Pet waste can be buried, at least 5 inches deep, in an area of your yard away from:
    • Brooks
    • Ditches
    • Streams
    • Vegetable gardens
    • Wetlands
  • Pet waste can be flushed down the toilet into the sanitary sewer system, which connects to a treatment facility, or a septic system.