How Can I Recycle Cat Litter?

Cat litter is hard to recycle, depending on the litter material. Conventional cat litter is made of clay, which does not break down easily. There now is, however, a wide choice of alternative, earth-friendly materials being used to produce litter that are biodegradable and can be recycled. Since cat feces might carry harmful parasites, it is not recommended to dispose of solid cat waste on the compost heap or on the garden patch.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat litter
  • Scoop
  • Plastic bag
  • Shovel (optional)
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Instructions

  1. Recycling Conventional Cat Litter

    • 1

      Remove feces from the litter box and dispose of them in a plastic bag, in the garbage can. Once the used litter material is cleaned of feces it is ready to be recycled.

    • 2

      Use the cat litter to cover areas of your driveway or fill holes, if you are using the small, hard clay pellet Kitty Litter. This type blends into an existing asphalt area. If you are concerned about the smell of urine, hose the area after you have added the cat litter. If you spread the litter out, this will help to avert bad smells.

    • 3

      Add conventional clay cat litter around the base of poison ivy or other weeds to kill them. This type of cat litter is not environmentally friendly, however, so should not be used in large amounts around the garden.

    Environmentally Friendly Cat Litter

    • 4

      Change your conventional cat litter to one made of environmentally friendly materials that break down more easily without polluting the environment. Such cat litters are made from wood pellets -- the ones used for wood stoves -- recycled paper or pine shavings. Purchase the litter or material from a pet store to ensure that no harmful chemicals have been added.

    • 5

      Scoop out and dispose of any feces from the used, environmentally friendly cat litter. Put feces in a plastic bag in the garbage can.

    • 6

      Mix the natural, used cat litter into the compost in the garden, preferably into a container such as a compost bin. The wood pellets, pine shavings or recycled paper will break down in the compost along with other kitchen or garden waste and can be used to fertilize the garden.

    • 7

      Dig the litter into the ground in your back yard with a shovel, covering it with soil, if you do not wish to start a compost pile. If the litter material is natural and contains no toxic chemicals, you can plant over it, if you wish, once it has broken down naturally into the soil.