Can you put Dog Poop Bags in Other People’s Trash Cans? An Ethical Investigation
In a city with many dogs and few public trash cans, this is the question dividing one San Francisco community. Seven ethicists, including Ethic Center's Senior Director of Leadership Ethics, Ann Skeet, weighed in.
The unanimous conclusion? All seven ethicists agreed that dog owners need to take their poop baggies home or put them in a public bin.
Skeet says, it comes down to two ethical considerations: virtue and the common good.
“Virtue framing asks, is this option that I am considering going to make me the person that I want to be?” Skeet explained. The common good framework asks you to consider whether putting the poop in someone else’s bin is good just for you or for everyone.
Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics, quoted by The San Francisco Standard.