City of Kirkland to flag un-scooped pet waste at two parks

Kirkland starts flagging unscooped pet waste

Starting Thursday, Kirkland volunteers flagged nearly a hundred areas of unscooped pet waste at two city parks. The city hopes the campaign will encourage pet owners to clean up after their pets.

KIRKLAND, Wash. - Clean up after your pet waste: that's the message the city of Kirkland is hoping park visitors will take away as hundreds of flags mark un-scooped pet waste.

In a release Thursday, the city says visitors will notice these yellow survey flags at two parks: Juanita Beach Park and Peter Kirk Park, indicating areas where un-scooped dog poop was left. This was part of a four-week observation campaign.

In the past several weeks, city volunteers have marked 96 areas of un-scooped pet waste on the north side of Juanita Beach Park near the ballfields. At Peter Kirk Park, near downtown Kirkland, 136 pet waste areas were reported in a three-week period.

The city estimates about 20,000 dogs generate almost 6,000 pounds of waste each year. Officials say dog waste contains bacteria and germs, aiding in spreading diseases to other pets and wildlife. The cit says it can also cause harm to water quality.

"The easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of disease and water pollution is to scoop the poop, bag it, and put it in the trash," said Kirkland City Councilmember Jon Pascal. "The City provides education and resources such as poop bag dispensers and encourages compliance with the scoop law. We are asking community members to do their part and clean up after their pets."

In fall of 2019, the city ran a similar campaign to help reduce un-scooped pet waste, which helped reduce it by 80 percent in six months following the city’s efforts.