The Netherlands’ 1.8 million dogs produce an annual mountain of faeces weighing 145 million kgs, according to research by Esccap, a lobby group of European vets specialising in pets.

Clearing up the waste requires 730,000 240-litre containers – which placed side by side, would stretch from Amsterdam to Paris, the organisation claims.
The claims are part of a publicity campaign encouraging pet owners to have their animals regularily wormed. Between 5% and 10% of Dutch dogs carry the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides, Esccap warns.
Children who injest the eggs can develop serious health problems.