The Best Ways to Dispose of Used Cat Litter

If you keep an indoor cat, you most likely have a litter box. Although cats can sometimes be trained to use a toilet, the vast majority of people go through the cycle of sifting a cat box and periodically changing the litter. Depending on your living circumstances, there are a number of good ways to dispose of cat litter.

  1. Toilet

    • One common way to dispose of used cat litter is to flush the litter down the toilet. There are many flushable brands of litter. People who use silica-based litter often sift and flush fecal matter down the toilet. In most cases, this is a good, safe way to dispose of litter and cat feces. However, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has expressed concerns that flushed cat feces may have introduced pathogens into the environment that have resulted in the death of sea otters. The group says these deaths are due to most wastewater treatment plants not being outfitted to treat the parasite toxoplasma gondii.

    Indoor Disposal

    • If you live in a large apartment building where the outside garbage is not conveniently located, you can double-bag used cat litter and cat fecal material to help eliminate the odor of these materials. You can then place them in your indoor garbage until it is more convenient to take the trash to the main building receptacle. When bagging, consider using plant-based plastics that are biodegradable. Bags designed for picking up dog fecal material are often plant-based and may be a good option for environmentally friendly bags for cat feces.

    Outdoor Disposal

    • If you do not want to flush your litter and fecal matter or if your litter is not septic system safe, outdoor disposal is a solution. By bagging your used cat litter and cat feces and immediately taking it outside, you do not have to double bag to limit odors in the house or apartment.

    Composting

    • Although on first glance, it would appear that composting cat feces might be a good way to turn them into a usable fertilizer, home composting usually does not generate enough heat over a long enough period of time to kill pathogens and parasites in the feces. Composting of cat litter and feces is not recommended.