Did you know that ökocat litter is 100% biodegradable and compostable? ökocat litter is an all-natural plant-based cat litter, which allows it to be returned from where it came—the earth! Not only are we committed to making sustainable products, but we also strive to produce minimal waste and help you do the same! Did you know that roughly 80% of the items buried in landfills in the United States could be recycled or composted? Landfills are one of the largest contributors to soil pollution. Traditionally when cleaning the litter box it is common to simply toss the old litter into the trash. However, composting has recently become a great way to reduce household waste. ökocat litter users who compost their old litter can sleep better at night knowing that they are creating a smaller carbon footprint for your furry friend. How does it work? Organic waste will break down naturally if given enough access to oxygen, allowing microorganisms to feed on the organic materials, breaking it down into usable compost! This is called aerobic decomposition, organic materials converted to compost can be used as a soil amendment, improving the quality of your soil by adding essential plant nutrients. In landfills, waste lacks access to oxygen causing decomposition to take much longer and producing lots of greenhouse gasses like methane and takes up so much space! How do I start a home compost? If you are interested in starting a home composting system, do your research to find the right composting system for your home – there are tons of methods out there that will require different amounts of space and even work on your end. The basic principles of creating healthy compost are the same, it’s critical to practice good composting standards for optimal aerobic decomposition. This means stirring, turning, watering, checking the temperature, and covering your compost every few days. Make sure there isn’t too much of one type of organic material in your compost pile, you want an overall balanced content. Variety is the spice of life, and that holds true to your compost pile as well! It does take some effort but it’s well worth it in the end and after a few months, your compost will be ready to be used in your happy and healthy garden. If you have any questions or concerns regarding composting at home, we recommend checking your local ag regulations, reading more through the tips at EPA.gov, or checking your state regulations. Can I compost poo?  It depends. Many of the compost blends you can buy on the market will contain manure from animals like cows and horses. These animals are herbivores, meaning their waste will only contain plant matter and this creates amazing compost! So the rules of thumb for composting your pet’s waste is: herbivores only! That, unfortunately, means no for composting your cat's poo. Cat parents can still compost their excess litter but should remove the solid waste from the used litter and properly dispose of with the use of a biodegradable bag. The feces of any carnivorous animal may contain harmful bacteria and should NOT come in contact with anything edible. After removing any solid waste, you can safely compost the rest of the litter. Composting How-to: Place litter on your compost heap, add some straw and mix it all together. Allow this to sit with other compostable items, turning the compost as needed to allow for proper aerobic decomposition. Each composting system has different requirements for turning and tending, so make sure to tailor these steps to your specific system. Depending on the size of your pile and your method of composting, it can take anywhere from two to six months for your compost to be ready to use and mixed into your garden. Important Tips for Success: Do not compost the waste of any animals who are ill, contagious, or taking medication, as these unwanted elements may wind up in your soil. Do not compost the feces of carnivores or omnivores Keep your compost pile balanced Don’t want to Start your Own Composting System? What if I don’t want to start a home compost, but don’t want to throw my excess litter into the garbage? If you are not interested in creating your own home compost bin or don’t have the available space, you may be able to use a yard waste bin or simply bring your compostable materials to local farms or a nearby community garden. Be sure to ask first if they will accept compostable materials with pet waste and what the requirements are. Most waste management companies have a commercial composting facility, especially if you live in a larger town or city. If you are struggling to locate one, we simply recommend googling “composting facilities near me”, give them a call and ask: If they provide a waste-management bin and the times they pick up compost If they do not pick up, when and how your compostable materials can be dropped off Any regulations of what should/should not be included in your compost materials The cost associated with working the yard-waste management Any additional benefits they provide (such as finished compost at a reduced price). So what are you waiting for? Start composting your used ökocat litter today!

Did you know that carefresh bedding is 100% biodegradable and compostable? carefresh is a made from scratch small pet paper bedding, which allows it to be returned from where it came—the earth! Not only are we committed to making sustainable products, but we also strive to produce minimal waste and help you do the same! Did you know that roughly 80% of the items buried in landfills in the United States could be recycled or composted? Landfills are one of the largest contributors to soil pollution. In the past when cleaning out a small pet’s home, it has been common to simply toss the old bedding into the trash. However, composting has recently become a great way to reduce household waste. Small pet parents who compost their old bedding can sleep better at night knowing that they are creating a smaller carbon footprint for your furry friend. How does it work? Organic waste will break down naturally if given enough access to oxygen, allowing microorganisms to feed on the organic materials, breaking it down into usable compost! This is called aerobic decomposition, organic materials converted to compost can be used as a soil amendment, improving the quality of your soil by adding essential plant nutrients. In landfills, waste lacks access to oxygen causing decomposition to take much longer and producing lots of greenhouse gasses like methane and takes up so much space! How do I start a home compost? If you are interested in starting a home composting system, do your research to find the right composting system for your home – there are tons of methods out there that will require different amounts of space and even work on your end. The basic principles of creating healthy compost are the same, it’s critical to practice good composting standards for optimal aerobic decomposition. This means stirring, turning, watering, checking the temperature, and covering your compost every few days. Make sure there isn’t too much of one type of organic material in your compost pile, you want an overall balanced content. Variety is the spice of life, and that holds true to your compost pile as well! It does take some effort but it’s well worth it in the end and after a few months, your compost will be ready to be used in your happy and healthy garden. If you have any questions or concerns regarding composting at home, we recommend checking your local ag regulations, reading more through the tips at EPA.gov, or checking your state regulations. Can I compost poo?  It depends. Many of the compost blends you can buy on the market will contain manure from animals like cows and horses. These animals are herbivores, meaning their waste will only contain plant matter and this creates amazing compost! So the rules of thumb for composting your pet’s waste is: herbivores only! Rabbit, guinea pig, or chinchilla feces are a great addition to your compost piles. Parents of omnivore or carnivore pets can still compost their excess carefresh bedding, but we recommend removing the solid waste from the used litter and properly disposing with the use of a biodegradable bag. The feces of any omnivorous or carnivorous animals may contain harmful bacteria and should NOT come in contact with anything edible. After removing any solid waste, you can safely compost the rest of the litter. Composting How-to: Place the droppings and used bedding on your compost heap, add some straw and mix it all together. Allow this to sit with other compostable items, turning the compost as needed to allow for proper aerobic decomposition. Each composting system has different requirements for turning and tending, so make sure to tailor these steps to your specific system. Depending on the size of your pile and your method of composting, it can take anywhere from two to six months for your compost to be ready to use and mixed into your garden. Important Tips for Success: Do not compost the waste of any animals who are ill, contagious, or taking medication, as these unwanted elements may wind up in your soil. Do not compost the feces of carnivores or omnivores Keep your compost pile balanced Don’t want to Start your Own Composting System? What if I don’t want to start a home compost, but don’t want to throw my excess bedding into the garbage? If you are not interested in creating your own home compost bin or don’t have the available space, you may be able to use a yard waste bin or simply bring your compostable materials to local farms or a nearby community garden. Be sure to ask first if they will accept compostable materials with pet waste and what the requirements are. Most waste management companies have a commercial composting facility, especially if you live in a larger town or city. If you are struggling to locate one, we simply recommend googling “composting facilities near me”, give them a call and ask: If they provide a waste-management bin and the times they pick up compost If they do not pick up, when and how your compostable materials can be dropped off Any regulations of what should/should not be included in your compost materials The cost associated with working the yard-waste management Any additional benefits they provide (such as finished compost at a reduced price).  So what are you waiting for? Start composting your used carefresh bedding today!    

(Pictured: Grand Prize winner, Maddie)  Bigger is better when it comes to a small pet’s home—they may be little but even small pets need elbow room! A larger habitat allows pets’ the room they need for exercise and more space to sleep eat and play. Be sure to read our Bigger is Better for Your Small Pets blog, by Dr. Ruth MacPete if you haven’t already. The Contest Our carefresh community is chalked full of amazing small pet owners who are giving their little ones the absolute best life! To celebrate them AND proper small pet care, we launched the Bigger is Better Contest during National Pet Month. We asked for friends of carefresh to submit photos of their small pet’s home and we were absolutely blown away by all the amazing submissions we received! We wanted to toot their horn for them, and share some of our contest winners! Pictured, going clockwise, are winners Kaylee S, Rosie, @mydear.hammies, and Ava L. These are just a small sampling of the truly wonderful homes being provided for the smallest member of these families.  Updated Recommendations We’ve updated the habitat size recommendations on the back of your carefresh bedding bags to be in line with these recommendations for proper small pet care! These pint size pets may be small, but they give lots of love. Be sure you provide them with the space, bedding, hay and exercise they deserve. And remember, in this case bigger is better.

Would you say that you’re a cat or dog person? According to a recent survey, your answer might also reveal a lot about your sustainability habits and ambitions! 2,000 cat and dog owners in the United States were polled for this survey, and of those pet parents, 69% believe they enjoy a more sustainable lifestyle compared to the average Americans. However, when asked about the steps they’ve taken to lessen their overall impact on the environment, just half of all cat owners say they’re recycling frequently or more often. While only 44% of dog owners said the same about their own recycling habits! The households where cats and dogs live together are having an especially hard time sorting their trash, with only 37% of those pet parents are recycling more. Thankfully, the survey also reveals that a whopping 94% of respondents made an effort to live more sustainably than they did a year ago. Nearly one in five even claim that they’ve “radically transformed” themselves and their sustainability habits over the past year. For almost half of the polled pet owners, that includes seeking out more environmentally friendly foods and products for their furry friends and swapping to biodegradable poop bag or an all-natural cat litter. “Many people don’t realize that clay litter and crystal litter are strip-mined from the Earth and don’t decompose,” said Dr. Ruth MacPete, DVM. “That’s why it’s important to look for options made from natural materials, like wood fibers, that are compostable and biodegradable.” While taking care of more than one animal species might make recycling more difficult, it seems to lead to more mindful pet parents with 67% having considered the impact of their pet on the planet. Almost three out of four of dog owners say that they spend more time outside because of their pet; with two thirds agreeing that their outdoor playtime with their pooch has made them more environmentally-minded. Compared to only 11% of feline enthusiasts who allow their cats to roam indoors and outdoors freely. “It can be tempting to let your cat outside so you don’t have to have a litter box, but it is actually much safer and healthier for cats to stay indoors,” said Dr. Ruth MacPete, DVM.  “In addition it allows you to monitor your cat’s eliminations, which can help monitor their overall health and allow you to identify diseases early.” Of course, some outside playtime isn’t out of the question, as 63% already allow their cat some supervised or safe access to the outdoors. According to our respondents, the 5 best ways to reduce your pet’s paw print on the planet: Switch to biodegradable waste bags or litter Buy more sustainable food Switch to products with better ingredients Spay or neuter them Adopted them from a shelter instead of a breeder

Did you know that all of Healthy Pet’s products are 100% biodegradable and compostable? Not only are we committed to making sustainable products at Healthy Pet, but we also strive to produce minimal waste.  If you are a cat parent and use okocat natural litter, if you have a hamster and use carefresh small animal bedding, or own a dog that uses Puppy Go Potty paper litter, then you can sleep better at night knowing that you are creating a smaller carbon footprint for your furry friend. In the past when changing the litter box or cleaning out a small pet’s home, it has been common to simply toss the old litter or bedding into the trash. However, composting has recently become a great way to reduce household waste. How do I start a home compost? If you are interested in starting a home compost, it’s important to practice good composting standards for optimal aerobic decomposition. This means stirring, turning, watering, checking the temperature, and covering your compost every few days. Make sure there isn’t too much of one type of organic material in your compost pile. It does take some effort but it’s well worth it in the end. After a few months your compost will be ready to be used in your garden, and you can make it available to others needing compost. It will be fun to share how your pets helped contribute. If you have any questions or concerns regarding composting at home, we recommend checking your local ag regulations, reading more through the tips at EPA.gov and checking your state regulations. Can I compost poo?  It depends on what type of pet. You can compost the feces of any herbivore; bunnies, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, and other small pets’ poo can all be composted along with the used wood or paper bedding like carefresh. Here are 3 basic steps on how to compost your herbivore’s poo: Place the droppings and used bedding on your compost heap, add straw and mix it in. Allow this to sit with other compostable items, turning the compost every so often as needed this allows for proper aerobic decomposition. Then place the “finished” compost on gardens once the compost has been sitting for at least six months. If you own an omnivore or carnivore (such as a cat or dog), we recommend removing the solid waste from the used litter and properly disposing with the use of a biodegradable bag. The feces of any omnivorous or carnivorous animals may contain harmful bacteria and should NOT come in contact with anything edible. After removing any solid waste, you can safely compost the rest of the litter and use it for ornamentals, flowers, shrubs or lawn after at least six months to a year. When composting litter you will want to make sure that is made from 100% plant-based material, such as okocat. You do NOT want to compost clay, sand-based or crystal litter, as they can actually damage your soil, especially a litter with synthetic toxins. Additionally, do not compost the waste of any animals who are ill, contagious, or taking medication, as these unwanted elements may wind up in your soil. A word of caution: pregnant women should avoid handling cat waste under any circumstances as it sometimes carries a virus that may lead to birth defects in a fetus. What if I don’t want to start a home compost, but don’t want to throw my excess litter or bedding into the garbage? If you are not interested in creating your own home compost bin or don’t have the available space, you may be able to use a yard waste bin or simply bring your compostable materials to local farms or a nearby community garden. Be sure to ask first if they will accept compostable materials with pet waste and what the requirements are. Some will take it if it is in a Biodegradable Products Institute certified compostable bag. BPI is a third-party organization that certified that every product being used will break down in its commercial composting facility. Most waste management companies have a commercial composting facility, especially if you live in a larger town or city. If you are struggling to locate one, we simply recommend googling “composting facilities near me”, give them a call and ask: If they provide a waste-management bin and the times they pick up compost If they do not pick up, when and how your compostable materials can be dropped off Any regulations of what should/should not be included in your compost materials The cost associated with working the yard-waste management Any additional benefits they provide (such as finished compost at a reduced price). So what are you waiting for? Start composting your used Healthy Pet products today!