San Francisco Hopes To Harness Power Of Dog Doo
Animals Produce 6,500 Tons Of Waste Each Year
POSTED: 12:35 pm EST February 22, 2006
UPDATED: 12:45 pm EST February 22, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Officials in San Francisco are stepping into something new -- recycling doggie doo to generate power.
Norcal Waste, a garbage hauling company, will collect droppings from a popular dog park.
The droppings will go into a machine called a methane digester -- a tank in which bacteria feed on feces to create methane gas.
That gas could then be piped directly to a gas stove, heater or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to generate electricity.
The technology is already used on chicken, hog and dairy farms.
San Francisco has plenty raw material for poo power.
Residents of the city own an estimated 240,000 dogs and cats.
City officials said Rover, Tabby and their pals produce about 6,500 tons of doo a year.
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