A family from Dyce, fed up with the dog mess in their area, has decided to get to work tackling the problem.
Gary Dow says dog mess on the streets reached such a level he was hearing daily complaints about it.
It all began in January when his 15-year-old twin daughters Megan and Tegan returned home from a walk with the family dog, Carly, complaining.
They were having to dodge the mess while walking in areas like Dyce, Mugiemoss and Wellheads.
Mr Dow volunteers at the Mugiemoss Hub close to the river and says people complain constantly about the problem.
Dyce dog mess disposal issue
He says while some dog owners pick up their pet’s mess, there are few places to dispose of it.
Therefore, bags of dog mess are thrown away without a second thought – even ending up hanging in trees.
He said: “People were coming to us, saying they had to swerve past dog mess with their buggies.
“It’s not just the mess, it’s bags you’re seeing, hanging from trees. People pick it up but they don’t take it home with them and they just throw it anywhere, it is an absolute disgrace.
“There is a lack of bins in the area, there are no bins at all in the local area, so I decided to make a bin out of old wire that’s how it all started. It’s made a massive improvement.”
Mr Dow has since made 10 bins, two in Mugiemoss, five in Dyce and three in Wellheads.
People have praised Mr Dow for helping eradicate the dog mess problem, but the task hasn’t been easy.
Mr Dow does not have suitable transport, so after he and his daughters collect the large bags, he cannot dispose of them other than within the local area.
‘Massive improvement’ to dog mess problem
Some bins are used so frequently that they need emptying every other day.
Mr Dow has tried asking nearby housing estates to use their communal rubbish bins, a request met with pushback.
He hopes that a solution can be reached that will allow the work he has been doing to continue.
He said: “It’s the lack of bins that has created this problem because people are actually using the bins.
“I have people donating bags, black bags and bottles and other people asking me to come and help out their area because their area is a mess as well, but because I don’t have transport I can’t do it.”
Mr Dow says tackling this issue alongside his daughters has brought them even closer together as they “love to get out and about and help”.
In addition to creating bins with the local area, the trio have created dog bag dispensers out of old plastic bottles.
These have been placed from Dyce down to Bucksburn, with more than 150 available for people to use.
Since the bags and bins have been put up, there has been a major difference in the amount of dog mess on the streets.
Conversation