Poop Bags for Apartment Living: No Yard, No Problem

Quick answer: with no yard, every poop happens on a walk, so your bags need to live by the front door, not in a kitchen drawer. Keep a stash you can grab one-handed on the way out, a dispenser on the leash, and a plan for the used bag before you walk back into the lobby and the elevator.

No yard means every trip is a public one

According to Dr. Jerry Klein of the American Kennel Club, "healthy adult dogs need to relieve themselves three to five times a day." In a house, some of those are a back door and a patch of grass. In an apartment, every one of them is a leash, a hallway, an elevator or stairs, and a sidewalk.

You will not poop-walk five times a day. The AKC puts the normal number of poops at one to two. But you cannot predict which trip it will be, so the rule is simple: a bag goes out on every trip, including the ones that are "just a quick pee." Your bag count stays normal. The number of bags you carry does not.

The door is your supply closet

Apartment walks start at the apartment door, usually with a dog spinning in circles and a leash in one hand. That is the worst possible moment to be hunting for a roll in a drawer. Put the bags where your keys are.

A box of loose bags by the door is the easiest setup for this. You pull one out with your free hand on the way past, the way you would grab a tissue, and you are out.

The elevator question

Nobody wants to share an elevator with you and your full bag. The simplest fix is to never bring it back inside. Use the outdoor bins before you reach the building. In New York City, the Department of Sanitation says that dog waste "if it is in a tied bag" can go in a public litter basket. Check your own city's rules before assuming the corner can is fair game.

If you have to bring it in, tie it tight with the air squeezed out, and hang it from a dispenser hook at arm's length. Not in your coat pocket. Future you will not forgive present you.

Trash chutes are a building-by-building question. Some buildings do not allow pet waste in the chute at all. Read your lease or ask the super before you find out the hard way.

Hallway accidents count

An accident in the lobby is not just awkward. In New York City, the Health Code bars letting a dog commit a nuisance "on a floor, wall, stairway or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public" (Section 161.03). That covers a lot of shared hallways and stairwells. The city's Housing Authority tells residents to pick up after pets "after potty breaks or accidents indoors or outdoors."

So carry a bag in the elevator every time, even on the way down. And if you have a puppy, carry the puppy too, at least until it can hold it for the ride. Some complexes have gone further and keep dog DNA on file to match unclaimed piles. We covered that in is it illegal to not pick up dog poop.

Balcony potty patches

If your dog uses a grass patch on the balcony, pick it up every day. The CDC says "pet waste should be picked up daily" and bagged for the trash, and notes that roundworm eggs take 2 to 4 weeks in the environment to become infective. A small patch, a warm balcony and a weekly cleanup is not a great combination.

Apartment problems, and what fixes them

Common questions

How do apartment dwellers dispose of dog poop?

Tie it and put it in an outdoor trash bin or, where the city allows it, a public litter basket. Check building rules before using a trash chute.

Can I put dog poop in my building's trash chute?

It depends on your building. Some ban it. Ask management, and always tie the bag tight.

How many poop bags does an apartment dog use?

About the same as any dog, roughly 30 to 90 a month. You just carry one on more trips. Here is the full math.

What if my dog has an accident in the hallway or elevator?

Pick it up right away, then clean the spot. In New York City, shared areas of buildings are covered by the Health Code.

What we would pick

The Complete Setup ($67.99) was more or less built for apartments. The Tissue Box of 200 flat bags sits by the door, the Walk Dispenser clips to the leash with a hook for the used bag, and the Classic Box's 270 bags on 18 rolls keep the dispenser loaded. Add a bonus roll and it is 485 bags, $4.99 less than buying the four pieces separately, with free US shipping.

Already have a dispenser you like? The Tissue Box ($24) on its own solves the door problem.

If you are not home at midday, read what your dog walker should be carrying. For where the bag goes once it is tied, see what to do with dog poop.