A K-State student is trying to reinvent the way people think about potty training their pets. Dylan Roney is a sophomore at K-State. He recently placed second in K-State Launch, a entrepreneurship contest at the university, with an idea for a biodegradable potty training pad.

“Whether they’re being potty trained or it’s too cold outside and they don’t want to go to the bathroom outside so instead they can pee on a mat inside the house and then you can throw it outside in your garden and it will degrade and help your plants,” said Roney.

Roney says he has been working on the idea since high school. He pitched the idea to the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute after the group spoke at his school. AURI has been mentoring Roney ever since, helping him move his idea along.

Roney says he came up with the idea thanks to a suggestion by his father.

“When I was 13 my dad gave me a booklet. He told me to write an idea in everyday, no matter how stupid I might think the idea might be, just write down an idea everyday so this was actually one of the ideas,” said Roney.

Roney say he invested the prize money from K-State Launch back in to his business. He’s on his fourth prototype and plans to launch the pads next month. Roney says he’s planning to sell wholesale to businesses at first and he already has interest from a nationwide hotel chain.