Kirkland's Yellow Flag Dog Poop Campaign Logs Another Success

KIRKLAND, WA — Earlier this year, Kirkland relaunched a visible campaign to discourage leaving un-scooped dog poop at city parks, marking each unwelcome dropping with bright yellow flags. In February, crews fanned out across Peter Kirk and Juanita Beach parks, recording nearly 200 instances of uncleared pet waste.

According to the official tally, volunteers counted nearly 100 fecal findings on the north side of Juanita Beach between Jan. 22 and Feb. 6, and 136 at Peter Kirk between Jan. 20 and Feb. 5. The two parks are among the city's most popular play areas. Aside from being an affront to the eyes and nose, officials say uncleared pet waste contains harmful bacteria and can pose disease risks and pollute waterways when it's washed down storm drains.

"Kirkland is the proud home to over 20,000 canine community members, who collectively contribute over 6,000 pounds of dog poop per day," the city wrote in a social media post. "Pet waste contains harmful organisms like E. coli, Giardia, and roundworms, which can be transmitted to people and pets if not cleaned up. Additionally, uncollected dog waste on sidewalks, parks, and in public places is unsightly, poses a health threat to people, pets, and wildlife, and pollutes local waters."

The yellow flag campaign, which launched in 2019, helps visitors and pet owners visualize how pervasive the problem is and think twice before leaving a mess behind. While city ordinances require residents to clean up after their pets, city officials said outreach and education efforts can be a more effective prevention measure.

This year, once again, the flags appear to be working as intended.

According to the city, un-scooped waste dropped 64 percent at Peter Kirk and 57 percent at Juanita Beach after the flags were placed in the latter half of February.

The city encourages pet owners to keep up the good work throughout the year, including scooping up after neighborhood walks and clearing waste from the yard a few times per week to help prevent the spread of bacteria.

Learn more about Kirkland's pet waste prevention efforts on the city website.