News: The Only Cat Litter Scoop You'll Ever Need

If you have a cat, trying to get all of the little clumps out of the litter probably feels like an impossible task. It pretty much is, but we've found the best cat litter scoop that gets more of those tiny pieces out than any other scoop. Plus, it's sturdy, degradable, and ethically sourced.

I've gone through many metal-based and traditional plastic scoops, and they've always had holes that are too big to catch everything in the litter box or were too weak or flimsy to last very long. But then I found the perfect scoop from Beco Pets, a company that focuses on ethical, eco-friendly pet products.

The scoop is made of toxic-free, rigid bioplastic, made mostly of rice husk, bamboo, and cornstarch with natural dyes (more on that later). But the real selling point for me is its durability. It's stronger than all other plastic scoops I've tried. And the graded holes that go from big at the tip of the scoop to tiny mean you can get a lot of poop and pee out, no matter the clump size.

Beco Pets is based in the UK, so getting the scoops in the US isn't easy without paying a bit more for them. While they have a $3.99 MSRP, Petco, Petsmart, and other big chain pet stores do not currently sell them. Beco Pets' US-based partner, Only An Ocean, doesn't seem to carry them either. So you're left buying from a no-name site with high shipping fees or Amazon at a markup.

Right now, you can get a green Beco Scoop for $6.99 plus free shipping off of Amazon. There are other colors, such as pink, blue, and beige, but only the green is in stock right now on Amazon.

The scoop is 9.8-inches long with the wide part of the mouth at 4.5 inches, so it's not a huge scoop, and it fits nicely in a wide variety of litter scoop holders. (CatGuru is one I recommend.) It feels perfect in my hand, very comfortable to grip, and it's a lot easier to clean than other scoops I've had.

While bioplastics get a bad rap for how long they take to biodegrade, I feel better with this scoop than any others since there is no real effort by Beco to greenwash. Rice husks are rarely used in products, but they're recycled here. Bamboo is one of the more compostable organic materials, and it's fast-growing too. And the natural materials are ethically sourced as bi-products from other agricultural processes.

They do include non-toxic D2W chemical agents that make the scoops "degradable," not biodegradable or compostable. When exposed to adequate amounts of heat and light, the chemicals help break down the plastic into microplastics. Now, microplastics are harmful, no matter whether it's petroleum-based plastic or plastic from plant fibers, but Beco Pets claims the scoops break down completely, so they won't be microplastics forever.

Beco Pets also makes degradable poop bags with handles. While marketed for dogs, they work just as well for cat litter. There's a compostable version too, but I usually end up going with a vegetable-based bag with handles.