Waste Reduction

Reducing Waste to Save Wildlife

In 2020, we expanded our composting program to continue diverting how much waste we send to landfill each year. Our animal manure composting program was expanded so now all manure generated from our elephant herd and our large hoofstock animals is composted for gardening. In addition to composting animal waste, the Houston Zoo is now composting food scraps generated from meal preparation in the Cypress Circle Café and from diet preparation in the animal departments.

The Houston Zoo published a Sustainable Procurement Policy in 2020 that helps outline what materials and products align with the Zoo’s environmental and wildlife-protecting performance goals outlined in the Strategic Plan. Within this document is a single-use plastics policy that helps the Houston Zoo continue to reduce the source of waste generation from zoo operations. Through the implementation of this policy, the Houston Zoo Purchasing department identified a new soap dispenser system that will reduce plastic waste by 500 pounds every year.

Wood & Lumber Procurement

The Houston Zoo has purchased 100% recycled content printer paper and toilet paper since 2018, but in 2020, we took it one step further by creating a wood and lumber purchasing guide to ensure that the materials we procure for construction projects are sustainably sourced. Our purchasing guide identifies lumber species to avoid types that directly impact habitat for the species and ecosystems we aim to preserve through our conservation partnerships. Our recent experience in the Pantanal exhibit construction was published as a case study by World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in their guide on “How to choose responsibly sourced forest products at your zoo or aquarium.”