Design
Doody Calls: Will Buenos Aires Ever Learn to Pick Up Its Poo?
Dog poop covers the streets, sidewalks, and parks of Argentina's capital. The city government says it's working on a plan, but it's not easy to change a culture.
BUENOS AIRES — Stray dogs and beloved pets alike leave behind approximately 30 tons of excrement on this city's sidewalks each day, according to government estimates. Many of these foul-smelling turds inevitably make their way onto the shoe soles of unwary pedestrians, but as gross as this is, footwear may very well be the most dependable dog poop disposal system here.
The dog owners and dog walkers of Buenos Aires are loath to pick up excrement, and it is rare to walk more than a block without encountering a turd. The piles of feces throughout the city are an odorous nuisance that restrict how people interact with public space, visually mar neighborhoods, and threaten public health.