poo patrol
we take your crap...seriously!
1800 364 766
Environment
The Park Spark Project
Anywhere people are walking dogs can be a source of heat and light by introducing a Methane Digester into the equation. As long as people are walking dogs and throwing away dog poo, a flame can burn.
The Park Spark project is the transformation of dog waste into energy (methane) through a publicly fed methane digester as an interactive urban intervention that questions our current waste system, and at the same time creates an opportunity for others to participate in the (re)imaging of the byproduct energy (methane).
The Park Spark project is a digester (see "HOW IT WORKS" section), which can be above-ground or buried underground except for a tube and a hand-crank, so that people can feed the digester and stir the mixture inside. Learn about the environmental benefits of burning methane and how to "green" your park.
​
​The methane captured by the Park Spark is piped to gas burning lamppost like an 'eternal flame'. This eternal flame will burn until someone or a group of people propose an idea to use the heat and light of the constantly burning flame and make a public project.
​
Dog Poo as Energy Projects
Dog poo in exchange for Free Wifi
Getting people to clean up after their dogs in public places is never easy - just take a look at how many "land mines" are dotted around your nearest park. One internet company in Mexico however, has hit on a clever incentive to encourage people to scoop up after their pet. Dog walkers in Mexico City are now finding pet waste disposal bins showing up in some parks that activate a free wireless network for a set amount of time depending on the size of the "deposit."
The internet company, Terra, partnered with advertising agency, DDB Mexico, to get the devices installed in ten different parks around Mexico City and named the service "Poo Wi-Fi." These special bins are pretty straightforward: a dog owner drops a baggy of waste inside, the waste is weighed, and a timer is then activated with a number of minutes based on the weight received. More weight means more minutes. While the timer counts down, anyone in the park can enjoy free wireless connectivity. There are even hostesses nearby throughout the day with plastic bags on hand for any pet owner that needs one.
Besides promoting its own brand, Terra hopes this could encourage dog owners to be more mindful of their pet's messes. The bins don't have any way of sensing what's actually put in them, so really any garbage could be dropped inside for Wi-Fi minutes, but the company just sees that as a way to tidy up the parks even more. Exchanging Wi-Fi for feces might be a bizarre concept, but if it motivates people to keep their public spaces cleaner, it could prove to be a good method in the long run.