There are 51 million pets in the UK, and many of the everyday things we use for our furry loved ones aren’t great for our planet.

Here are some tips and quick switches to make caring for your pets kinder to our planet too:

• Dog poo bags – Around 8 billion dog poo bags are used and disposed of each year – that’s a huge amount! Traditional plastic bags (and others marketed as ‘degradable’) could take many years to decompose, and when they do, they simply turn into micro-plastics which contaminate the environment.

Swapping to a more environmentally friendly option for cleaning up after your pets would be a simple and sustainable way to reduce your plastic footprint.

Ecovibe

These are totally biodegradable bags made using cornstarch, but still as strong as standard plastic bags, they’re also specifically designed to be an opaque green so you won’t have to see any mess if you’re squeamish (an issue with some thinner eco bags).

The Green Poop bag

Available in two sizes for average sized and XL pooches, the green poop bag accommodates larger breeds that may be left out when it comes to other brands. They also offer a 2 month supply of poo bags for £9.90, which comes to around 8p a bag. You can save even more if you choose to subscribe and get new bags delivered once you’ve run out without having to reorder.

• Cat Litter – Cats don’t escape the environmental impact caused by pet waste, as typical clay and crystal cat litters are non-biodegradable and plague landfills, never breaking down. They also impact forests and natural habitats of other animals with the mining of the silica and clay used in kitty litter. Eco friendly options are mostly comprised of biodegradable waste materials that are recycled into kitty litter, such as paper or wood.

Natusan

An odor free eco alternative to typical kitty litters, Natusan is derived from recycled natural wood fibers that still clump together and contain smells like your usual litter. This company works extra hard to manage their environmental impact by offering their customers a service in which they collect the used litter from owner’s households to compost it themselves and turn it into fertilizer that is then outsourced to other companies to use the cat litter made fertilizer. However, there is also the option to compost or dispose of your own litter, if this service doesn’t appeal to you.

• Pet Toys – As a lot of dog owners will know when you bring a fancy new toy home for your dog it doesn’t always last as long as you would hope before they’ve reduced their new toy to shreds. This makes it worth considering how long those toys last on the planet when they only last a few weeks/days/hours in your dog’s possession. For example, hard plastic toys or stuffed toys with synthetic fibers and fabric will end up breaking down in landfills polluting the environment with harmful micro plastics.

A number of companies have considered this and began developing toys that avoid harming the planet once your friend tires from playing with them.

One Green Planet

All the toys this company produces are made from sustainable, natural or recycled materials, and they offer a variety of different types of toys so even the pickiest of pooches can find toys they’ll enjoy.

• Pet Bowls – finding eco friendly pet bowls isn’t too hard of a task, as most materials used are sustainable (metal, ceramics, bamboo). As long as you abstain from purchasing plastic bowls, the environment will benefit. However, there are some companies going above and beyond.

Beco pets

This company not only makes biodegradable bowls for larger animals, but products for small small rodents too – which are often left out of green ingenuity.

• Pet Beds

Instead of beds filled with plastics and virgin synthetic fibers, many companies are making environmentally friendly dog beds out of recycled materials. This is a simple way to help the environment and keep your dog comfy at night.

Barks and Bunnies

Made from sustainably sourced cotton, with fairly paid workers and shredded recycled bottles for stuffing, these beds offer a variety of sustainable options. This company provides a variety of styles and fabrics for many pet’s needs, and your own personal taste.

• Pet water bottles 

Unfortunately, there are currently no doggy water bottles that are made totally of sustainable materials; however, companies are making steps to reduce the amount of plastic they use in their products. This is being done by using silicone in place of plastic – which although not totally ecofriendly – silicone is much more durable, recyclable and doesn’t put harmful toxins into the environment.

Kong

This Kong water bottle is comprised of stainless steel and silicone. This makes the product much more durable for long hikes with your four-legged friend and won’t need to replaced as soon as flimsy plastic alternatives.

• Pet food – Our fury friends have nutritional needs beyond what we need, which must be kept in mind as we monitor their diets, this is to ensure they receive the higher amounts of protein they require, compared to our human diets, without negatively impacting the welfare of other animals. This can be done while also supporting brands that supply sustainable packaging with their environmentally conscious dinner.

Love Bug Pet Food

This particular brand of cat food uses protein from insects, filled with amino acids and micro -nutrients, and fights the issue of food waste by using fruits and veggies that otherwise would have gone to waste.

Lilys kitchen

Lily’s Kitchen provide “proper food for pets” by creating naturally delicious, wholesome food for cats and dogs whilst also being mindful of their impact on our planet with their eco packaging and organic ingredients.

• Pet treats – We all love to treat our pets from time to time, looking for treats that have no plastic packaging can be difficult but look for options with little or no plastic packaging and also made from natural materials, to keep your pet healthy too.
  • To reduce packaging completely, why not make your own dog treats? With this handy recipe book from Pet’s at Home by Lily’s Kitchen you can make your pup some tasty treats!
  • Keep it natural and treat your furry friend to antlers to gnaw on – deer antlers are natural and are a great substitute for chemical-rich raw hide products. Don’t worry, they are also cruelty free, in producing dogchews, the shed antlers are simply collected when they have shed naturally, so deer are completely unharmed – and totally unaware
  • When choosing treats, look for brands that are doing their bit to help the environment by using ethically sourced products and sustainable packaging.

• Collars and leads 

When it comes to keeping our pooches safe whilst out on their W-A-L-K, many of us probably don’t give a second thought to the materials used for their leads and collars when the time comes to replace them. Leather and nylon webbing are the two most common materials used in typical collars, but sustainable materials like hemp, bamboo, repurposed rope, and organic cotton are becoming more readily available, making it easier than ever to help our planet.