Big stink: Melbourne councils spending millions tackling dog poo

A PUPPY population boom is forcing Melbourne councils to roll out more poo bags — and it’s costing millions of dollars every year.

MELBOURNE councils are spending millions of dollars every year tackling the smelly problem of dog poo.

The state’s 900,000 dogs produce 90 tonnes of waste every day with some little piles left on footpaths, parks and playing fields.

Bayside council, which has one of the highest pooch ownership rates in the state, spends $120,000 every year on 1.8 million bags, as well as dispensing and collection from bins.

The population boom in the inner-city in the past decade has meant more dogs in limited public spaces, forcing councils to roll out more poo bags to encourage owners to clean up after their dogs and quell complaints.

And while complaints are common, fines are rare in most councils because of the difficulty in tracing the offending dog and owner.

Melbourne City Council issued just two $250 fines for not removing poo in the past year.

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The City of Melbourne has two dedicated dog parks.

Bayside earlier this year took the extraordinary step of taking gates off fenced ovals so owners would have to pay attention to their wandering canines.

Sporting clubs in the area were unhappy at having to clear their playing fields, sometimes picking up to 40 bags before they could start play.

Black Rock Football Netball Club president John Burke said there was a dramatic improvement in the amount of poo left on playing fields since the no-gate policy was introduced.

“The sporting grounds are no longer as appealing to irresponsible owners,’’ he said.

Player health and safety had improved too, he said.

Bayside council open space manager Damien Van Trier said dog owners appeared to be supervising their pets more closely.

“This initiative is to encourage dog owners to keep a more watchful eye on their pets and follows reports of continued damage to oval surfaces and complaints from sports clubs and the community about having to clean up unacceptable amount of dog poo, sometimes as much as 30-40 bags, during pre-match inspections before sporting games,’’ he said.

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More dogs in limited public spaces has forced councils to roll out more poo bags. Picture: File image

Yarra Council also removed gates from the popular Citizens Park in central Richmond in 2015 but later put them back after dog owners kicked up a stink.

Other councils have dedicated dog parks, and are providing more poo bags and education programs to help manage the problem.

The City of Melbourne has two dedicated dog parks — Clayton Reserve in North Melbourne and Stawell St Reserve in West Melbourne — and seven other locations which have partial off-leash zones.

In Port Phillip, patrols were stepped up from November 1, with officers targeting beaches, foreshores, parks and off-leash zones.

Mayor Bernadene Voss said that from November to April each year, more people were out with their dogs and that most incidents occur early in the morning or late evening.

About two out of every five Victorian households now has a dog.