Let’s be honest, picking up your dog’s poo isn’t the most fun part of taking them for a walk.
Still, it’s a necessary job. If you get caught not cleaning up after your dog you can expect a fine of at least £80.
As a pet care company that spends time with roughly 40 dogs a DAY, we’ve tested hundreds of different poo bags. We know what it’s like for a bag to split and cover your hands in shite.
Not fun!
So which are the best dog poop bags?
Best Poo Bags: Our Top Picks
Earth Rated Dog Poo Bags: Best Selling
With or Without Handles
Scented or Unscented
100% Leak Proof Guarantee
Made From 100% Recycled Materials
Amazon Basics Poo Bags: Strong & Cheap
Excellent Value For Money
Very Strong
100% Leak Proof Guarantee
Come With a Dispenser
Pet’ n’ Pet Biodegradable Dog Poo Bags: A Year’s Supply
1,080 Rolls in a Pack
Should Last a Full Year
Biodegradable Plastic
Excellent Value For Money
Pogi’s Compostable Poo Bags: Plastic Free
What Makes a Good Poo Bag?
The main thing a dog poo bag needs to do well is pick up your dogs’ mess with no leakage.
It should be easy to separate one bag from another and easy to open, no matter if they come boxed or on a roll. Picking up after your pooch should be quick and easy. You shouldn’t have to fight with the bag beforehand.
Thickness is also something to consider. Trust us, we spend our days picking up muck and there’s nothing more nauseating than being able to feel the heat and texture of it in high definition.
A good poo bag should also be easy to tie shut. Not only to avoid leakage but to prevent the smell of ‘eau de dog turd’ escaping and drifting up your nose.
It should hide the contents too – no one wants to walk past you and see poo smeared up the inside of a bag!
Beyond these essential considerations, it’s a matter of personal preference.
There are plenty of scented poo bags out there if that’s what you prefer. In our experience though, combining lavender with stinky poo only makes things worse. Hence, we’ve not included them in our picks.
Dog Poo Bag Reviews: A Closer Look at Our Top Picks
Now you know which ones we recommend, let’s have a look at them in more detail.
We’ve compared price, value, ease of opening, tying and the ability to keep the contents in the bag without splitting.
1. Earth Rated Dog Poo Bags
It’s easy to see why Earth Rated poo bags are so popular.
There’s a TON of choice in pack size. From a single dispenser with 15 bags all the way up to a bumper pack of 900 bags.
You can also choose between scented or unscented bags. Although as I already mentioned, we prefer the unscented ones. Dog poo smells bad enough without the waft of lavender mixed in!
On top of that, you can go for bags with or without handles. The bags with handles as it makes tying them easier. That said, if you want handles the biggest pack size we can find is 120 bags. If you prefer to buy larger quantities you’re stuck with handleless bags.
Regardless of which you choose, they dispense well and they’re easy to open. They’re thick enough to give you the confidence to pick up your dog’s steaming pile without feeling like your finger is going to go through them. On top of that, they’re guaranteed to be 100% leak-proof and do a good job of confining the stink.
Earth Rated use 100% recycled materials. Although most of their bags aren’t biodegradable. They do make compostable bags from vegetable starches but they only come in packs of 60. That said, compostable bags aren’t as good for the planet as you might think (more on that later).
Whichever version of the product you choose, they’ll make cleaning up after your pooch a little more bearable.
2. Amazon Basics Biodegradable Poo Bags
If price and strength are your main considerations then Amazon Basics poo bags are fantastic.
You get 54 rolls, each containing 15 bags. That adds up to a whopping 810 bags, which come with a complimentary dispenser.
The bags themselves are big enough and strong enough to pick up the poo of an elephant. So picking up your dog’s mess is a breeze.
They are plastic which gives them their superhero-like strength. That said, they do contain EPI technology which helps the plastic break down over time.
Opening and tying the bags is dead easy, despite not have handles. The only downside is that sometimes the perforation isn’t great. At times it can feel like you need to be Ironman to separate the bags, especially when using the dispenser.
On balance though, they’re excellent.
3. Pet ‘n’ Pet Biodegradable Poo Bags
If you like to order a year’s supply to get better value, then Pet ‘n’ Pets biodegradable poo bags are a decent choice.
You get 60 rolls containing 18 bags a roll which adds up to 1,080 bags.
There’s even a choice of colours: Black, green and orange. We preferred the black as they’re the least see-through. The orange ones are the most transparent.
Despite not being the thickest bags on this list, they come with a 100% leak-free guarantee.
They’re also easy to open and plenty big enough to handle even large turds. And you can tie them without issue.
Excellent value for money.
4. Pogi’s Compostable Dog Poo Bags
If you’re dead against plastics then have a look at Pogi’s compostable dog poo bags.
They’re made from 100% plant starches.
You might think because they’re not made of plastic they lack any strength but that’s not the case. They’re plenty strong enough to pick up Fido’s doo-doo without busting. Plus, they keep the stink in the bag.
And talk about easy to use!
The bags are super-easy separate and also show you which end they open. When you reverse them over your hand, they feel like a latex glove. Tying them is easy too, although we’d still prefer them to have handles.
Why Biodegradable Poo Bags Aren’t What They Seem
Lots of suppliers are loud and proud about their poo bags being biodegradable. Many, even claim they’re compostable.
In an attempt to be kind to the environment, many dog owners choose these over other types. So it might shock you to learn that they’re not as green as they would have you believe.
Let me explain…
The words ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ refer to the breakdown of material over time. That said, they’re different things.
Biodegradable Poo Bags
‘Biodegradable’ means that a product will break down into natural components. Like water or methane. Most things are biodegradable given enough time. Including poo bags.
Compostable Poo Bags
‘Compostable’ is more misleading.
In order for something to be compostable, it must break down as a result of microbial activity. Think composting garden waste.
Products labelled as compostable must meet ASTM 6400 specification. This specifies how long and under what conditions a product completely decomposes. Leaving nothing harmful behind.
As mentioned earlier, lots of suppliers boast about their poo bags being compostable. And while they’re not lying as their bags ARE compostable, it’s irrelevant.
See, proper composting needs certain amounts of oxygen, moisture and heat (over 50 degrees celcius). The problem is, as landfill sites get fuller, they become airlocked. As waste gets dumped on top of waste, oxygen can’t reach levels needed for decomposition. It doesn’t get anywhere near hot enough either.
As a result, the bags sit there, like normal plastic bags.
What About Poo Bags Labelled For Home Composting?
While you can technically compost dog poo at home, we don’t think it’s a good idea.
Dog poo can contain Hookworms, Parvo and Salmonella. It can also cause nasty infections like Toxocariasis, caused by Roundworm parasites.
Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, or you have a hot composting bin, it’s not worth the risk of getting poorly.
In Conclusion
Using the best dog poo bags you can find is actually quite important.
You have a legal duty to clean up after your dog to prevent the spread of infections and disease. The last thing you want to do is expose yourself to them by using cheap, thin bags which are likely to split.
At the end of the day, all a poo bag needs to do is conceal the contents and confine the smell without splitting, until you find a bin.
We’ve tested and used hundreds of types of poo bags over the years so we feel we’re in a good place to advise you.
Any of the four products we’ve recommended here will serve you well.
