cat litter disposal & gardening

magicbastarder

just wondering if anyone has any tips or dos and don'ts about cat litter and using it in the garden? the stuff we use (sanicat) states on their website that it can be disposed of in the organic bin, and since it's heavy stuff, it makes sense to keep it out of the black bin anyway. can it go in a compost bin, assuming you don't throw it all in in one lump?

looksee

I'm pretty sure you are not supposed to put cat litter in the recyling bin; I put ours in a sack and put it in the rubbish bin. I have been using a clay based one recently but I usually get 'the Best Cat Litter in the World' - that is what it is called. It is expensive and I have to get it from the vet, but it is absolutely the most efficient and lasts for ages. It is also not heavy. I shall be going back to it when this bag is finished.

morgana

Try Zooplus.ie or the .de site - I'm sure they are cheaper than your vet! (Never mind any of the other stuff on there ^^).
You could also try wood based litter (no idea of brands though, allegedly Tesco has it) - that would be easily compostible.

magicbastarder

we've been putting ours in the black bin, but as it's a clay based litter i was wondering if there was a garden use for it.

looksee

Just done a bit of quick googling and no, clay based cat litter is not biodegradable or is otherwise not suitable for composting.

DANNY2014

Use wood pellets 3 10kg bags for €10 and they add serious weight to the waste bin. Can these be used in the garden e.g the wet waste pellets...

Mountainsandh

Mr Price sell a nice wooden pellet one. I don't get it all the time but my cat seems to like it when I do.

Since toxoplasmosis likes soil, I wouldn't be too keen on using compost that has cat litter in it. Then again, toxo is harmless enough unless you're pregnant, you'd be better off getting it now if you're planning on getting pregnant in the future, and whether your cat has it if it's mostly indoors is debatable. (I don't know if indoors cat get it, and I don't know if they still carry it if they had it in the past )

edit : I realize I'm actually saying that I wouldn't care too much whether there's toxo in my compost or not

DANNY2014

I've read b4 about using cat litter compost for flowers, shrubs etc but not to use where your growing edibles...

magicbastarder

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Then again, toxo is harmless enough unless you're pregnant,

i've already tested positive for 'a previous exposure to toxoplasmosis' or words to that effect - i've had it, but not active now.

Mountainsandh

I double checked it recently for another thread, in France they actually sort of recommend that young girls play with kittens and eat raw meat, since you're much better off with it in your system than getting it while pregnant.
I had 2 pregnancies so I must have been tested, but I can't remember if I had it. My pregnancy days are over anyway

Most people don't know when they've had it as it's so mild.

pawrick

Depending on the litter it can be composted (plant matter based litter such as wood pellots etc. should be ok) however do not put the compost on anything you intend to grow to eat. Having it in flower beds could also increase your risk to come in to contact with toxoplasmosis which although mild for most people could have severe health implications for those with a weak immune system or who are pregnant.

I've used lots of litters and would prefer biodegradable however I never found them to be as good as the fine silica based ones for getting rid of smells or last as long for my indoor cats (silica based ones however will kill your plants/grass).

magicbastarder

just to clarify - i was *not* asking could clay based cat litter be composted, as it's clay it won't make any benefit to a compost heap.
my query was that as it's clay-based, can it be used *elsewhere* in the garden.

Mountainsandh

I know I'm rural, and I dispose of it in a heap in a corner of the land where I know it won't affect water. We use a stove and have lots of ash as well, so that goes on the same heap. Grass/weed/pruning waste also go on that heap. We're forming the heap into a sort of bank that will separate an area for timber.
It's shaping up nicely, and I'd be hoping to grow grass, calendulas, poached eggs, bulbs, and similar hardy things on it. If it doesn't have enough body for that, husband will mix the heap in later with some of our finest own yellow clay (!) to reform a more solid bank.

Since this clay of ours is so poor anyway, I have been thinking of using the architectural things that are shaped like bee cells, I'd "plant" them on the top of the bank and fill with compost. So I'd have the cat litter + ash + yellow clay under as structure, but little compost cells above for better soil for flowers.

You need space for that though, and patience as it doesn't look good in the meantime. I guess it's more landscaping than gardening.

These kind of things, although I've seen much nicer : http://www.woodies.ie/garden-and-outdoor/landscaping/kilsaran-avoca-planter-tan-colour-1110464

If you've had toxo before, and you use a planter on top with its own soil, maybe you'd be safe to grow edibles even, I'm not sure.

I can say that I have mixed cat litter + sand + coal ash + compost before for a flower bed in front of the house, it's good at holding water but not soaked, and I have a thriving rose bush, bulbs, and various cottage flowers in there, and everything thrives yearly. I wasn't too heavy on the cat litter though, a reasonable mix.

Caillte

I use the following:

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/cat_litter/ecological_litter/bio_clumping/127216

Its very expensive but lasts ages, smells nice and is flush-able. Couldn't recommend it more. However if you have a septic tank then maybe not a good idea.

pawrick

quick look online at the composition of one type of the clay type sanicat litters says it is make from Sepiolite. Sapiolite can be added to soil without problem just mix it in and it has been used to help retain water in some soil types. There are other types of clay litters however so you probably need to check which type you have and see if it's fine to dispose of in the way you want. I'd imagine the more dispersed the better though.

Hocus Focus

Hi Magicbastarder,
To answer your original question(s):
Yes, put it in the organic (brown) bin,rather than adding to your black bin cost (and to the mountain of landfill!) The composting methods used by local authorities involve heat treatment that would dispose of it safely.
As others have suggested, it's perhaps best not to put it in your garden, particularly if you are of child-bearing age.

magicbastarder

oh, plenty of cats (and foxes possibly too) already **** in my garden.

Graces7

Before I moved, was using a mixture of sand and potting compost as LIDL as LIDL had a special at E1.9 a large bag.. I was having to keep all 5 cats indoors.. chose an unused bit of garden and was deep rural.

Here I used a bag of fullers earth to tide me over; barely used and there is an old ruined house on the land here which has a heap of what I am sure is used cat litter . Cats all go out now!

Oh and no refuse collection up here..