Taylor McKay for Silver Creek Materials
Zoo Poo is coming soon to a nearby gift shop. It is exactly what it sounds like. Animal poop, processed and sold as planting soil. It is reportedly part of the Dallas’ Zoo’s push for sustainability.
Zoo Poo will be sold at the Dallas Zoo’s gift shop, local specialty stores and at the Fort Worth headquarters of Silver Creek Materials, the recycling outfit partnering with the Dallas Zoo to turn elephants, giraffes, hippos and other herbivores’ manure into compost.
We read about this first in the Green Source DFW newsletter, where editor Julie Thibodeaux
reports that “the animal manure, with its mixture of hay and bedding material, creates compost for potted plants, growing gardens, landscape areas, and anywhere soil can benefit from additional nutrients.”
A portion of Zoo Poo sales will benefit international wildlife conservation organizations supported by the Dallas Zoo.
Twice a week, a truck from the Dallas Zoo will carry loads of poo to Silver Creek for conversion and packaging.
The zoo reportedly has a goal of diverting 90% of its waste from landfills by 2030 as part of its commitment to sustainability. “Animal manure is, by far, the heaviest part of waste generation at the Dallas Zoo,” they report, and Silver Creek Materials projects it will take 100% of herbivore manure from the Dallas Zoo beginning this year.
The zoo’s president Gregg Hudson says in a statement that herbivorous animals such as elephants, giraffes, and okapi produce more than two million pounds of manure per year.
“The Dallas Zoo is committed to conservation and sustainability as we work to create a better world for animals, and we are thrilled to partner with Silver Creek Materials to make an even bigger impact,” Hudson said.
You can read more about the process here.
