
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 1, 1994                   TAG: 9407020012
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Wendi Gibson Richert
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TALK ABOUT RECYCLING ...

When people realize that the cute rabbit or toad garden sculpture they're holding is actually a pile of molded and baked cow manure, they usually drop it, says John Flaharty, vice president of Tewksbury Gardens in Lebanon, N.J.

But he quickly assures folks, these sculptures are completely dry and odorless. ``It's probably less contaminated from a germ perspective than the dollar bill that's in your pocket.''

Called PooPets, these brown creatures are made by Amish workers in Pennsylvania, where there are many, many cows. And, in case you're wondering, Flaharty says the company didn't have any trouble finding employees to scoop, mold and cook Pennsylvania's excess dung.

PooPets come in 25 different sizes and styles, including cows, turtles, pigeons, snails and skunks, and they range from $2.95 to $12.95. The best seller is, surprise, the stool toad.

``It's basically a gift,'' Flaherty says. ``You give it to somebody you like - or don't like.''

And, it's functional. Place your PooPet in the garden and when it rains, water-soluble nutrients leech into the ground. Don't worry - it won't disintegrate into a mass of, well, poop. And your neighbors will never smell your fertilizer.

PooPets aren't the only recycled product coming out of the Tewksbury Gardens factory. Their packaging is made of Aspen wood, which can be used as mulch.

PooPets are available in Roanoke at Grand Interiors on Electric Road.

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB