The City of Ottawa quietly dumped a pilot project to deal with dog waste in city parks.

In the summer the city installed special receptacles at two parks near popular dog runs, including at the Jack Purcell off-leash park in Centretown. The bins for dog waste were installed at two parks, including Jack Purcell in Centretown. (Alistair Steele/CBC)

The bins were placed as part of a pilot project designed to consider alternative ways to deal with the 7,500 metric tonnes of waste Ottawa's pooches produce each year.

Ottawa's animal bylaw says dog waste should be taken home and the City of Ottawa even suggests flushing the waste down the toilet, but few dog owners abide by these suggestions.

Dog owners at Jack Purcell like the barrel-shaped, swing-lidded receptacles that appeared back in the summer, saying they reduced the smell from the garbage.

Pilot project cancelled in July

Kitchissippi councillor Katherine Hobbs, whose ward is home to another of the receptacles, said she had hopes for the project.

"There's a lot more capacity, and they're picked up in a much safer way as well, so I'm hoping that all our parks will change over," said Hobbs.

But that appears unlikely to happen anytime soon. Deputy city manager Steve Kanellakos said he killed the pilot project back in July because it wasn't a priority and there was no direction from council.

That means the bins now act only as garbage cans, and unless the city changes its green bin policy, dog waste that ends up in the garbage will still end up at the Trail Road landfill.