SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Years-old Federal Trade Commission advice on dog poop bags has spawned a class action lawsuit against one company.
Basheer Bergus, through lawyers at Bursor & Fisher, on Nov. 29 filed a lawsuit against beyondGREEN Biotech in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The company's claims that the bags are compostable are contested in the case.
On their packaging, the bags are alleged to decompose within three to six months.
"Problematically for consumers, these claims are false and misleading. Indeed, the (FTC) has stated that 'compostable' claims on dog waste products are 'generally untrue,'" the lawsuit says.
"More specifically, dog waste cannot be composted because it can contain harmful contaminants (e.g., E. Coli). Even in backyard composting, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cautions that dog waste can contain harmful parasites, bacteria, viruses or pathogens."
The FTC stance on the bags comes from a 2015 press release.