I've seen evidence of strange behavior among people who walk their dogs on trails in parks or seminatural areas in my suburb. People will carry plastic bags for picking up their dogs' feces but then, instead of discarding the filled bag in a bin, they will throw the bag away like litter, and often in the vicinity of the bins. (I've never actually seen anyone do this, just the evidence thereof.) This behavior creates a more serious pollution issue than not cleaning up after your dog since the plastic bags don't biograde. Have there been studies on this or similar counterproductive behaviors?
The phenomenon that intrigues me is not one of dog-owners neglecting to pick up their dogs' poop. The dog-owners that puzzle me do pick it up with a small plastic bag, tie it nicely with a knot, but then throw the bag on the ground or into the verge along the path instead of throwing it into a nearby bin.
I've just moved to another suburb, 20 or so km distant. Again the same phenomenon in the parks — people bagging their dog poop but then littering the park with the plastic bags of poop. What's the point? I just don't get it. If they took their dog off-trail to poop in the bushes it would at least be biodegradable.
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