New York City has a dog waste problem — and the City Council might have a plan to fix it. The Safe and Clean Outdoor Ownership Practices (SCOOP) Act is a package of five bills designed to address one of the most persistent quality-of-life complaints across the five boroughs.

The bills would require the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to stock dog waste bags at all 23,000 public litter baskets across the city, post reminders at park entrances about owners' responsibility to clean up, launch a public outreach campaign about the health risks of dog waste, step up enforcement on blocks with repeated 311 complaints — with fines up to $250 — and pilot a program to compost dog waste from city dog runs.

The scale of the problem is real. New York City has roughly 600,000 dogs. Complaints to 311 about dog waste surged this past winter to record levels. And despite existing rules requiring owners to pick up after their pets, the city issued just 2 enforcement summonses in all of 2025.

"No parent should have to worry about dog waste covering the sidewalks in front of their home or contaminating the parks where their children crawl, play, and learn to explore the world," said Allie Taylor, founder of Voters for Animal Rights. "Dog waste is not just unpleasant, but it's a real public health issue and a quality of life issue for families across New York City."

The SCOOP Act is practical, targeted, and long overdue. We are calling on the full NYC Council to pass all five bills and on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to sign them into law.

Sign to support the NYC SCOOP Act.

Photo: Veronica de Souza/Gothamist