PEI

Humane Society ditches plastic feeding bowls, and now wants your help

The P.E.I. Humane Society is moving to a fully compostable feeding system.

New system prevents the spread of disease and saves staff time

Cats prefer the shallow french fry trays. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)

The P.E.I. Humane Society is moving to a fully compostable feeding system.

The society is ditching metal and plastic feeding bowls and serving up meals in egg cartons, paper bags and french fry trays.

"[It] saves a tremendous amount of time for staff," said development coordinator Jennifer Harkness.

Dogs enjoy the puzzle of breaking into the paper bag. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)

"We're talking maybe 45 minutes to an hour for each staff member every day from doing dishes. It saves hot water and it also saves chemicals because we have to sanitize each dish as well as washing it with normal dish detergent."

Better disease control is another bonus from the new system. Some diseases, such as ringworm, are resistant to sanitizing chemicals.

Happy animals

Animals at the shelter are also enjoying the new system.

The new system saves a lot of staff time, says Jennifer Harkness. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)

The cats prefer the shallow french fry trays, because they can keep their whiskers clear of the edges, and dogs love the puzzle of tearing their food out of a paper bag.

The society is looking for donations of compostable feeding bowls, and is in particular reaching out to restaurants that might be able to help.

With files from Krystalle Ramlakhan