Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Rachel Hawes with Milo, a Schnauzer and Angus, a West Highland Terrier
Rachel Hawes, founder of innovative dog poop waste collection product Pupoon, didn’t think her dog poop problem was the kind of product an Innovation Connect (ICON) grant would fund.
But in 2022, Rachel received an ICON grant for $25,000 in matched funding from the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN).
“I couldn’t have created the Pupoon without the funding. As a working mother of three, I didn’t have that kind of money to invest in a product to scoop up dog poop,” she said.
Even though Rachel says she’s never had so much fun talking about dog poop, dog waste in Australia is an issue.
“Australia is home to more than 6 million dogs, and they all need to poop 1–5 times a day. That’s a whopping 744,000 tonnes of dog poop in Australia every year,” she said.
“Dog poop is full of bacteria, and studies show that only around 40 per cent of dog walkers pick up their dog poop. That leaves around 300,000 tonnes of poop lying on footpaths, streets, parks and to be washed away into our waterways, beaches, rivers or left to decompose.
“A lot of people think the answer is to provide more public bins, but bins need to be serviced, and then you have the problem of bins accumulating a lot of dog poop, and becoming awfully smelly.
“I think the solution is in providing a product that makes it easier for dog owners to collect their dog poop and take it home with them.”
This innovative solution came to Rachel when she was walking her beloved dogs, Milo, Baxter and Angus, in Isaacs Ridge.
“I love walking, it’s my thing,” she said. “It’s the only time I get for myself as a busy working mum. But the joy was getting sucked out of it when I would be collecting up to five bags of dog poop each walk.
“I kept thinking there has to be a better way, this is so gross!” she said. “I had tried multiple products from pet stores and a bunch that I bought online, but nothing really worked.
“That’s when I had my idea. I saw a cocoon in the forest, and it sort of snowballed from there with the design and the name.
“I wondered if I could use that design and shape to hold all the poop in a way where doggy waste didn’t get tangled in the lead, it didn’t stink, you could dispense your dog poop bags, and you didn’t have to hold bags of dog poop the entire walk.”
In the making for the past four years, Rachel has worked with industrial designers from Canberra’s Formswell over the last 18 months to bring Pupoon to market.
The Pupoon:
- can hold up to five dog poops
- is air-tight to reduce odour
- is light weight and attaches to the lead
- won’t split and spill if you drop it
- is made from medical-grade polypropylene to resist odour.
Pupoon’s first shipment has arrived and is available on Rachel’s website.
The ICON grants are delivered by CBRIN, which receives funding from the ACT Government to support entrepreneurs, innovators and start-ups, like Rachel.
A common misconception about the ICON grants and working with CBRIN, is that you need to be in a high-tech industry, like AI, medical services or tech. However, ICON grants have been provided to Canberra business owners who have created innovative products in a range of fields, from puppy waste to vegan oat milk soft serve.
Check out CBRIN’s latest events, including Female Founders on Tuesday 7 May 2024 and the next First Wednesday Connect on 5 June 2024 and to get a taste of what CBRIN has to offer.
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