The fine for not picking up dog poo is $275 – which should be reason enough for dog owners to ensure they pick up after their pet in public places, says Great Lakes Council, not to mention the nasty surprise of stepping in a mess left by a dog.

“Council has placed 29 dog poo bag dispensers throughout the Great Lakes area for the convenience of dog walkers to assist with the collection of dog poo,” said Council’s Manager of Waste, Health and Regulatory Services, Mr John Cavanagh.

“Council spends over $6,000 annually on purchasing the biodegradable bags to restock the dispensers, but this offsets large scale environmental damage to our waterways and important industries for local economy like tourism and aquaculture,” said Mr Cavanagh.

Uncollected dog poo washes into drains and eventually ends up in our waterways, adding nutrients to our natural lakes and rivers.

These nutrients cause algal blooms and alter the chemical balance of the water, which in turn causes pollution and destroys the habitat for marine animals.

Volunteers across the Great Lakes do a mighty job in helping Council maintain the off-leash areas and restock the dispensers.

“We are all very grateful to our volunteers and we hope that dog walkers will respect them and their work by remembering – do it, bag it, bin it.”