Dog poop must be removed from the environment

Talking about dog poop is a sure sign of spring. As the weather warms up during the winter, the dog poop left in the snowbanks is revealed and causes irritation.

- Collecting dog poop affects the comfort of the area. Uncollected dog poop spoils the landscape and causes unpleasant odors. They can also contribute to the spread of infectious diseases and parasites both from one pet to another and to people, says the city gardener Erika Luhtanen from the city of Imatra.

According to the Administrative Law, the owner or keeper of a dog, for example a dog walker, must take care that the dog's excrement does not accumulate in the environment in the treated area. A maintained area refers to, among other things, areas where the lawns are cut, where there are plantings or where the streets are paved. The regulation applies especially to urban areas.

- Dog waste must be collected, for example, from parks or streets in urban areas. The regulation does not apply to areas outside the agglomeration, says Luhtanen.

Imatra does not have separate dog poo bins, but collected dog poo can be put in all park bins. They are marked with a sticker that gives a hint about collecting dog poo.

- If necessary, we also provide stickers to attach to your own outdoor garbage. Luhtanen reminds us that the permission of the owner of the waste must be obtained for gluing the sticker.

Stickers are available at the city's customer service at the city hall. 

For more information:

city ​​gardener Erika Luhtanen, city of Imatra, erika.luhtanenimatra.fi (erika[dot]luhtanen[at]imatra[dot]fi), tel. 020 617 4704