A Reddit user has shared a compostable alternative to clay cat litter that keeps waste, smell, dust, and tracking to a minimum — and, in their words, it's "dirt cheap."
In a popular post on the r/ZeroWaste subreddit, a user writes about their fantastic success using wood pellets in their kitty litter box instead of clay ones. The user purchased a 40-pound bag of pine pellets from Tractor Supply that cost only $7 and found that the product worked well once they figured out how to maximize its effectiveness.
The user initially had some issues with the sifting litter box but eventually found a solution.
"The key improvement is to have the sifting feature on all the time," the user writes. "By setting the sifting litter tray on top of a bigger container with some clearance below, the sawdust will automatically fall down. Now [the] tracking issue is completely solved."
"I dump the sawdust in the bottom bin every 2 weeks into compost and replenish [the] top bin pellet once a week," the user adds.
The 40-pound bag lasted the user about three months, which breaks down to about 7 cents per day.
Other users shared their excitement in the comment section.
"I'm going to test this out! I've got four cats and the waste created from caring for them always weighs on me," one user writes. "I even considered potty training them loll thank you for sharing! 💕."
"I've been using this store's brand of wood pellets for 5+ years and it's saved me so much money," another user says. "Clay-based cat litter is mined from the Earth and is not sustainable. These wood pellets are at least biodegradable … I've also used it to make gym equipment (weights) because it's so cheap."
Before switching to wood-based pellets in your pet's litterbox, Pawmore suggests checking the bag or contacting the manufacturer to make sure that the pellets are kiln-dried to remove the phenol found in pine oil, which can be highly toxic to cats, as well as to ensure they do not contain chemical additives, are made from untreated wood, and contain nothing other than 100% natural wood fibers.
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