Pet Habitats blends practical pet care with environmental action, led by Steven Sarver to deliver cleaner pet waste systems for responsible communities.
Today on the PETBIZS Founders’ Interview Series, we are sitting down with a man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to make the world a bit cleaner.
Steven Sarver Sr. is the founder of Pet Habitats, a company that has taken one of the most avoided aspects of pet ownership — waste disposal — and turned it into a masterclass in sustainability and design.
While most people see disposing pet waste a chore, Steven saw an opportunity to protect our environment and improve the lives of pets and their parents. He’s a true innovator in the ‘logistics of love,’ and we are thrilled to have him here.
Thank you, Steven, for joining the Founders' Interview Series of PETBIZS. Your work with Pet Habitats is transforming how we handle the 'behind the scenes' of pet ownership. Let's begin with your introduction — tell us about yourself and the journey that led you here.
I started working on this issue in 2005 in Redwood City California. The garbage company BFI was trying to recycle everything in “ONE BIG BIN.” This project allowed the main garbage can be sorted and recyclables would be sorted to make sure everything that was recyclable would be delt with at the landfill.
Unfortunately, the first part of the process was ripping open all the plastic bags. The second phase was running all the garbage through a tumbler to separate everything. This covered all the waste with pet waste.
At the time I had a toilet in my shop so I thought I would help solve this issue by picking it up and flushing it in my shop. Unfortunately, when you dumped a pooper scooper full of waste it totally plugged the toilet. When I tried to put smaller portions into the toilet but that was too time consuming to be efficient.
I had a friend that I had worked with to develop a system to reuse water in car washes. We put our heads together and started a company to solve proper pet waste disposal – PETHABITATS. Later, we had developed several products that made this issue simple and easy to install.
We’ve all had those moments where pet waste cleanup feels like a never-ending chore. Was there a specific morning with your own dogs where you realized the current way we handle pet waste just wasn't working?
Yes, I have always had dogs and cats as far back as I can remember. And, it had always been my duty to deal with feeding and maintaining our pets.
When I left home and married, I continued my love for pets. I also inherited coming up with ideas to solve issues from my grandfather. He ran a welding and repair shop where my father worked for several years. I was always working in the shop since I was in the first grade.
From there I got the legacy of have a problem find a solution. Dealing with pet waste was always my job and finding a solution was second nature for me.
The name 'Pet Habitats' suggests a bigger environment. When you started, was your focus specifically on pet waste disposal systems, or did you want to change the whole 'habitat' of the home?
Yes, my plan was to take pet ownership to a new level.
Pet waste was a big issue but I was also looking at the problem and pain of finding someone to watch my pets when I couldn’t be there myself. Dog day care was a nice situation but even when me and my wife where both at work and the dog was left at home alone with no contact if there was an issue was still a big issue.
My plan was to create a system that should allow me to be at work or away from home but still let me monitor my pet from my phone. Now with all the technology we have, imagine a “dog TV,” to keep your pets entertained, that you can connect and integerate with your home tech stack so you both can see each other when you are away. If you see an issue you call our franchise. We will have a list of subcontractors including dog walkers or other people we can call to deal with the problem.
When our subcontractors get to your home, the pet owner unlocks the door and monitor our subcontractor into the house .You monitor them while they are there when the problem is dealt with. Would there be anything else we can do? If you are satisfied, perfect, that all is well you watch them leave and lock the door behind them.
My thought is that this would be a AAA club that you would join and that would allow you a certain number of visits over a set time frame. That is PetHabitats.
With the 'humanization of pets,' owners are more aware of hygiene. Do you see a trend where people are looking for more 'sanitary' ways to manage pet waste in their living spaces?
That is part of what I’m working on now. My Pet Bathroom collects the pee and the poop with a bathing station. The dog doesn’t go outside to do their business. This is also a great product for handicap people with service dogs without going outside. It also is a great solution for police dogs and military along with airports dog relieve stations. The existing units in the airport only allow the pee to be flushed; the poop goes into a plastic bag and off to the landfill.
The EPA actually prefers flushing over landfilling. Why do you think most owners still don't realize that flushing pet waste is often the most eco-friendly option?
This is one of my biggest issues. When I moved to Colorado and bought a new home it was in the paperwork that I received in the closing papers to flush your pet waste.
My solutions have been killed since 2008 by the wastewater treatment municipalities not wanting to take the pet waste. The internet is still claiming that you shouldn’t flush pet waste stating that pet waste is too toxic for the sewer. The treatment plants monitor the effluence coming into the system and what is going out to let nature deal with what is going back into the environment.
However, the treatment can be adjusted to deal with whatever is coming and going back into the environment. The main function is maintained in the denitrification tank. This is where the waste is allowed to have the bacteria with oxygen to eat the waste and turn it into nitrogen that is released back into the environment as a needed element for anything green. Rather than the methane from the landfills. This is the EPA‘s preferred method of pet waste disposal FLUSHING IT!
Greenwashing is a huge issue in the pet world. How can a parent tell if a pet waste bag is truly biodegradable or just clever marketing?
The biodegradable term has been allowed to be used in this issue for quit some time. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in most cases.
When these bags go into the landfills the first thig that happen is the garbage is buried. This doesn’t allow the bags to receive any sun or heat that is required to compost the waste. On the contarary, my bags melt. We use the same material found in dishwasher soap pods, along with several other trusted products. I used this product to bag concrete color. It matched the exact grout color size and let me work without direct contact.
When making your batch it came bagged in poly vinyl alcohol bags, so you didn’t have it all over your cloths and hands. I spent a lot of time and money developing my bags. They are a double lined bag that allows the warm poop to be incased into a higher temp liner that is smaller than the main bag so if you are flushing it into the toilet in your house the outside bag melts quickly to release the air from the main bag while the smaller bag holding the waste doesn’t have enough air to keep it from flushing. (FlushEze Pet Waste bags).
Part of that solution is my PoochPouch that make your dog walk as pleasant as possible. It carries the new bags and the used bags in a detachable pouch so you can clean it if necessary or it can be a water bowl. It also carries your phone, keys and a bottle of water. Then you can carry your coffee or soda and your dog leash.
Scaling a physical product like a pet waste disposal system is tough. What was the biggest manufacturing hurdle you faced when trying to make pet waste management feel high-end?
I had 2 versions done in the US originally along with several additional products from a roto mold process. This was very expensive and required several molds that were very expensive.
However, I ended up in China. The China connection was a very nice advancement at that time. They were great partners at the time. We developed several products from 2006 to 2009. This process had drained my capital. Along with dealing with the government and my construction business, one of my biggest problems now is developing new manufacturing. The company in China is no longer around not to mention China tariffs. I’m challenged finding new manufactures in the state and much higher costs.
When you first pitched the idea of a premium pet waste solution, did you find people were hesitant to talk about such an 'unpleasant' topic?
Once they tried the products, they loved them. I couldn’t keep my bags in stock. One of my best costumeries was Barbra Streisand, she would buy several cases of my bags and was giving them to all her friends. I have never had an unsatisfied customer they either loved my products or I returned there money. My WasteAway was a great product. I still replace any parts from customer’s when I first started. Never have an unhappy client.
Regulations around pet waste and sewer systems can be strict. How did you navigate the legal side of creating flushable pet waste products?
I’m working on developing a new building code now. The WasteAway will need to be tested for a UPC approval at some point as of now I have never been questioned by a plumbing inspector. The product achieves all code requirements in the plumbing code.
Tell us about your dogs! Are they the primary 'testers' for every new pet waste product you develop?
Yes, they are. My dog Moe was the first dog to use the system. Chesney helped with Moe when he was having a hard time with health. Moe went to work with me every day. He was my truck dog and would sit on my truck all day making sure no one touched my truck. On the weekends, he had to be on the truck. He was a Queensland heller.
Chesney was my wife’s poodle. She was a great dog. Rascal was my next dog and he was an Australian Shepperd. He was a great dog. Now, we have Toby and he came out of a working dog couple. He is a Border Collie and will be 5 years old in June. Being a relentless ball and Frisbee dog, he keeps me young.
Is there a specific design feature in your pet waste dispensers that only a frustrated pet parent would have thought of?
The WasteAway is a very simple design. I have somewhat of an advantage since I have been a general contractor along with 5 other trades including Electrical and Mechanical licensed in California one of the strictest states for being approved to contract there.
I am a certified building inspector and a certified member of ICBO. This has helped generate solutions that will meet the requirements of the ICBO for final approval with the building code. My fire Rated dog door that goes on the door between the house and the garage is another product that will need approval. I use the garage as a holding place when the weather is bad to keep the outside.
Since pet waste isn't a 'glamorous' topic for social media, how do you build a community that feels comfortable discussing these necessary chores?
Yes it is a nasty topic. But it is the worst part of owning a pet. Every pet owner must deal with this issue. I try to make it as simple and sustainable as possible. I try not to be too graphic, but if you own a pet you know how bad it is now. I’m just trying to make it as easy as possible.
What’s the most surprising piece of feedback a customer has ever given you regarding their pet waste routine?
“Wow! This is great! From most of my clients.”
I have done so much research and development to make my products function without any issues. This led me to have had customers from 10 year ago wanting products for their friends. I add a lady that was selling pet clothes online that requested putting the WasteAway on her site. She was selling 2 units a month I was direct shipping, so she didn’t have to touch it making $100.00 per sale she loved it.
What is the 'Big Dream' for Pet Habitats — are you looking to solve pet waste issues for commercial spaces like dog parks next?
Yes, my solutions for dog parks is instead of garbage cans use protopodites with FlushEze bags. They can outsource to the protopodites companies to deal with this issue and send it to the sewer system without installing sewer and water to the dog parks.
I have also designed an open can with a lid that could be placed around the park for disposal with a FlushEze dispensers. Besides, I also have a system we call the rock. This unit looks like a big rock for areas that are new developments where sewer and water can be placed during construction for final installation for dog parks and walking trails in subdivision’s that instead of garbage cans. This unit is setup when you push open the top of the rock the WasteAway is located at the bottom of the rock you just drop the FlushEze bag close the lid aid it flushes. We have a solar panel on the top of the rock for power to the flushing mechanism.
For those who want to follow your journey or upgrade their pet waste routine, what are the best ways to connect with you or find your products online?
Our website is www.pethabitats.com Our office phone is (970) 460-4945 We are also on Alignable, Linkedin, and most other sites.
This has been incredibly insightful, Steven. To wrap things up, I want to pivot to something a bit lighter. We call this our PETBIZS Rapid Fire round — don’t overthink it, just give us your gut reaction!
- Early bird or night owl? Early Bird
- One word to describe the ‘smell’ of a successful business? Perspiration
- If you could talk to your dog for 30 seconds, what’s the first question you’d ask? Are you happy?
- Coffee or Tea to get through a long day of logistics? Lots of Coffee!
- Favorite ‘pet-friendly’ vacation spot? I have close friends that were partners back in the day in Durango, Colorado They live in the woods on 40 acers. I usually stay for a week helping with projects. What a great life.
Thank you, Steven, for sharing your experience and perspective with such clarity. Your insights highlighted how practical pet waste disposal, smart systems, and environmental responsibility can work together at scale.
From identifying everyday challenges to building solutions that communities can actually sustain, your work at Pet Habitats shows how execution and accountability drive real change.
This conversation reinforced that cleaner spaces start with thoughtful design, consistent habits, and leadership grounded in action.
