Don’t Toss That Dog Poop: Mass. Artist Uses Waste to Power Park Lamp

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Picking up after your pet may no longer require the trash bin.

Remember those wild Invention-Submission-Corporation commercials? Imagine calling 1-877-412-IDEA with this claim: my innovative poop converter has the potential to power the lamp at the local dog run.

Matthew Mazzotta has the brains to make that claim. The AP gives the skinny on the 33-year-old’s “Park Spark” — a pair of oil tanks attached to a gaslight powered street lantern at a Cambridge, Mass. park. Once your dog finishes its daily business, place the waste in a biodegradable bag and drop it in the left oil tank. Turn the wheel to generate methane from bacteria within the waste and voilĂ ! The lamp is lit.

Mazzotta told the wire service that a dog poop business isn’t in the cards right now. But if anything, hopefully it will be the start of ending those unwelcome spots on urban streets.