Hungary’s capital is launching a 200-million-forint ($1-million) campaign to rid itself of hundreds of tons of dog waste which land on the city’s sidewalks and parks each year, the daily Nepszabadsag reported.
City officials estimate that Budapest’s 400,000 dogs produce around 14,600 tons of dog waste each year, more than the weight of the Eiffel Tower and the London Eye combined, creating a health hazard and a public nuisance.
The city will spend the money on public awareness television advertisements, hundreds of dog waste disposal bins and sidewalk cleaning machines.
Budapest has one of the largest dog populations in Europe. Vienna has just 60,000 dogs while Frankfurt has only 12,000, the paper adds.