A large part of the Zoo's mission is focused on conserving the natural world around us. Not only is the Zoo concerned about the lives of the plants and animals exhibited, but also about the natural resources used here every day.
Sustainability
- Annual Big Creek Cleanup
- Annual Zoo Recycling Totals & Materials Collected
- Bikes Added to Transportation Fleet
- Polar Plot
- Water Conservation
Composting
Community Recycling Opportunities at the Zoo
- Aluminum Can Recycling
- America Recycles Day Event
- Cell Phone Recycling (year-round)
- Paper Recycling (year-round)
- Phone Book Recycling
- Printer Cartridge Recycling (year-round)
- Recycling Bins (year-round)
Zoo Receives New Recycling Bins
Thanks to a matching grant funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention and a donation by the Cleveland Zoological Society, the Zoo has 95 new recycling bins. The bins are located throughout the park and are designated to collect used plastic beverage bottles and aluminum cans. Please "Do Your Part" and support the Zoo's extensive efforts to recycle.
Community Paper Recycling Program Creates Funds for Zoo
The Paper Retriever® program is a joint venture between the Zoo and Abitibi-Bowater, a world leader in newspaper and magazine recycling.
Here's how everyone can get in on the act. Look for a green and yellow Paper Retriever® bin, conveniently located at the rear of the Zoo's main entrance parking lot, and toss in piles of unwanted paper. Almost any type of paper can be deposited: office paper, school paper, newspaper, construction paper, magazines, catalogs, shredded paper (contained in plastic bags), junk mail, notebooks, soft-cover books, writing tablets - essentially any paper product. The paper will be 100% recycled and made into newsprint. Please, do not depositcardboard (of any type), plastics, glass, metals, or trash in the Abitibi bin.
Recycling is an ongoing part of the Zoo's commitment to conservation. The Paper Retriever® program will help generate money for the Zoo's composting facility, water conservation program, aluminum and glass recycling, and other conservation initiatives. Abitibi pays Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for every ton of paper collected.
Did you know...
- Every day, Americans buy 62 million newspapers and throw out 44 million of them?
- Each year, Abitibi recycles enough paper to make a box car train 7,500 miles long?
- One ton of recycled paper used to make newsprint saves:
- 390 gallons of oil?
- 4100 kw hours of electricity?
- 7000 gallons of water?
- 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space?
So just follow the signs from the Zoo entrance to the colorful Paper Retriever® Bin and make a waste-paper contribution. It costs nothing, but the reward to the Zoo and the environment is priceless.
Aluminum Can Recycling
We encourage you to collect and bring aluminum cans with you to the following 2013 Zoo events:
- Sunday, March 17, "St. Patrick's Day"
- Sunday, April 21, "Party for the Planet"
- Sunday, June 16, "Father's Day at the Zoo" can crush
- Saturday, November 6, "America Recycles Day"
When we throw things away, we make an impact on the environment – that waste has to go somewhere, there is no "away" - and we lose the natural resources and the energy that were used to manufacture those items. Most of these natural resources cannot be replaced – for example, the rocks (ore) from which metals are mined. So if we keep on using and throwing away resources in this way, eventually they will run out. Aluminum is the most valuable material in the trash stream. Recyclable materials have to be separated out from the rest of the trash and sent to reprocessors, companies who turn the materials back into usable products.
- Aluminum never wears out, it can be recycled forever.
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.
- Aluminum cans are the most recycled beverage container in the world. An awesome 105,784 cans are recycled every minute nationwide.
Throughout the year the Zoo collects and recycles aluminum cans (beverage type containers) through its Cans For Conservation program. The money raised from recycling those cans is used for local and global animal and habitat restoration projects. Past supported projects include, the Eastern Plains Garter Snake, Panamanian Golden Frog, Turtle Survival Alliance, Polar Bear International, Snow Leopard Trust, and Friends of Big Creek.
In 2013, Cans for Conservation special collections will go to support Slow Loris Conservation. Visit www.nocturama.org to learn more about the Little Fireface Project.
Visit the Zoo's Recycling Center presented by:
Tavens Packaging and Display Solutions
CELL PHONE RECYCLING YEAR-ROUNDAnswer the Call of the Wild!
Visit the Zoo's Recycling Center presented by:
Tavens Packaging and Display Solutions
Wait! Stop! Don't throw that old cell phone away. Bring any type of cell phone and cell phone accessories (rechargeable batteries only) to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. A recycling box for cell phones is located inside the Zoo's Exhibit Hall to the left as you enter the main plaza.
There are plenty of reasons to recycle your old cell phone. Cell phones contain a number of hazardous substances including lead, cadmium and arsenic. If not recycled, these substances may cause serious threats to environmental and human health. And, cell phone recycling is an easy way to support Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The funds generated by this program will support Zoo conservation and recycling projects.
The Zoo partners with several companies that sell usable phones to companies that refurbish and reuse them. Unusable phones are disassembled and safely recycled by a North American EPA-certified recycler. All of these companies follow a zero landfill policy.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: It is the responsibility of the donating party to cancel or switch service on the phone and to delete any data such as phone numbers, text messages, pictures, emails, documents, etc. that might be on the cell phone. If you or your company has a large number of cell phones, please contact the Zoo's Recycling Coordinator Nancy Hughes at 216-661-6500, ext 4508. |
Visit the Zoo's Recycling Center presented by:
Tavens Packaging and Display Solutions
The Zoo collects inkjet and toner cartridges to be reconditioned, reused, or recycled. For every ink jet and toner cartridge that can be recycled, Cleveland Metroparks gets a small donation with proceeds going to future recycling initiatives. The drop off location is in the Zoo's Exhibit Hall just inside the main entrance.
If you or your company has a large number of cartridges, please contact the Zoo's Recycling Coordinator Nancy Hughes at 216-661-6500, ext 4508.
Phone Book Recycling
June 1 through September 30, 2013
Print & share Cleveland Metroparks phone book recycling locations.
It's that most exciting time of year - the new phone books are coming! Make sure your old phonebook is recycled by taking part in the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's 19th annual Phone Book Recycling Campaign, June 1 through September 30, 2013.
Individuals and businesses can recycle outdated phone books at the following 12 Cleveland Metroparks locations, including the Zoo:
| Bedford Reservation: | Shawnee Hills Golf Course, 18753 Egbert Road, Bedford |
| Big Creek Reservation: | Snow Road Picnic Area, Big Creek Parkway, Parma Heights |
| Brecksville Reservation: | Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, 9445 Brecksville Road, Brecksville |
| Cleveland Metroparks Zoo: | Hippo Parking Lot, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland |
| Euclid Creek Reservation: | Welsh Woods North Parking Lot, Euclid Creek Parkway, South Euclid |
| Garfield Park Reservation: | Garfield Park Nature Center, Mill Creek Lane, Garfield Heights |
| Huntington Reservation: | Overflow Parking Lot, Lake Road, Bay Village |
| Mill Stream Run Reservation: | Bonnie Park Picnic Area, Valley Parkway, Strongsville |
| North Chagrin Reservation: | Parking lot south of park entrance, SOM Center Road, Mayfield Village |
| Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation: | Canal Way Nature Center, Whittlesey Way, Cuyahoga Heights |
| Rocky River Reservation: | Grist Mill Parking Lot, Cedar Point Road, North Olmsted |
| South Chagrin Reservation: | The Shelterhouse Picnic Area, Hawthorn Parkway, Bentleyville |
Books can be dropped off seven days a week during regular park hours, during June, July August, and September ONLY. Phone books only should be placed in the green trailer located in the parking lots. Books must be removed from the plastic bags.
This campaign has become the largest phone book recycling program in the state. Phone books collected through this year's program will be recycled into various recycled paper products. This campaign is sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District in cooperation with Cleveland Metroparks, The Plain Dealer, and AT&T.
ZooPoo Compost
What do we do with all the Poo?
Recycle it and sell it, of course! As part of a comprehensive on-grounds conservation program in cooperation with area composters, the Zoo processes approximately 3,000 cubic yards of manure, hay, straw, wood shavings, woodchips, herbaceous material and leaves. At our windrow composting facility, we produce mounds of the rich, sweet smelling, and most exotic soil amendment in Northeast Ohio. The site has produced up to 300 cubic yards of finished product in a year. Zoo horticulturists use the compost to prepare spectacular gardens throughout the Zoo's 183 acres.
- Every spring and fall, Zoo members and local residents have the opportunity to purchase a bulk scoop or smaller quantities of the rich camel, elephant, giraffe, kangaroo, reindeer, rhino, and zebra compost known as ZooPoo. For just $40 a cubic yard (non tax-deductible) -- $55 for two yards -- the compost is loaded into your pickup truck. You may purchase smaller quantities if you bring your own container (we'll supply the shovels) -- 30-gallons (fill any hard-sided container equal to 30-gallons, i.e. garbage can, Rubbermaid totes, etc.) for $15 or a 5-gallon bucket for $5.
We are sorry to say that our annual Spring Compost Sale will be canceled for the first time in 10 
years, but for good reason:
- The Zoo's Horticulture staff is in the process of planting a "Browse" Garden in an area just west of the Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Veterinary Medicine. In 2012, they planted over 62 trees and shrubs using soil excavated from a construction project on Zoo grounds. In 2013, they plan to add more trees and shrubs as well as Bamboo, Giant Reed Grass, and several varieties of Banana and Hibiscus. Due to the poor soil conditions, it is imperative that they use as much ZooPoo Compost as possible during planting. Once the plants have been established, they will prune branches strategically in order to provide a continual supply of browse material for animal enrichment and diet.
We hope to have our fall sale as usual; orders will be taken in September for October pick-ups.
Want to learn more about compost and its benefits? Download the US Composting Council Fact Sheet.
If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Hughes at (216) 661-6500 x4508.
WATER CONSERVATION
Water conservation has been a focus for more than a decade. Beginning in 1992, a water use analysis was performed to identify the zoo's use pattern. At that time, the zoo was using approximately 1.1 million gallons of water each day. Over the next several years, improvements were made to improve the 60+ year old water distribution lines and infrastructure. Exhibit pools were repaired and re-coated to correct leaks. Sub-meters were installed on major water user areas (bear pools, tiger pools, Wolf Wilderness pool, etc.) in an effort to isolate and identify potential underground leaks.
An updated water use analysis conducted in 2002 further identified areas for improvement. All water meters are read twice daily and recorded in a spreadsheet program that creates quarterly bar and pie charts to help staff visually understand the impact of proactive conservation practices. With daily collection of water use data, and consistent analysis of that data, animal keepers and Zoo staff can react to changes in water use patterns and implement ways to improve water efficiency and minimize waste. The Zoo expanded this analysis program by adding sub-meters to Monkey Island and the Pachyderm Building in 2003. In 2002, the average daily water consumption was 572,000 gallons per day, representing a 48% savings over average use in 1992.
ZOO ADDS BIKES TO ITS TRANSPORTATION FLEET IN 2010
With the financial assistance from a Cleveland Metroparks internal Eco Grant awarded in 2010, the Zoo added 8 bikes to its transportation fleet. By using this alternative mode of transportation, employees in the Facility Operations, Animal Care, Education, and Guest Services departments will help to decrease our carbon footprint by reducing emissions, air and noise pollution, and also save on fuel costs.
AMERICA RECYCLES DAY EVENT
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s 4th annual America Recycles Day will be held Saturday, November 9, 2013 from 10 to 4pm.
The Zoo will celebrate the event to coincide with the national annual America Recycles Day events which have been held since 1997.
The purpose of the Zoo’s ARD event is to promote reducing, reusing and recycling consumer goods in Greater Cleveland. The Zoo’s ARD event features recycling collections for aluminum cans, cell phones, inkjet & toner cartridges, as well as other items. Exhibitors will host craft activities, and provide information and opportunities for a more sustainable community. Check back often for upates and be sure to join us rain or shine!
BIG CREEK CLEANUP
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Besides cleaning up the Creek, participants have also worked on efforts to eradicate invasive plant species, such as Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard, from the banks of Big Creek to allow room for Ohio's native vegetation, have erected bird nesting boxes and also cleaned up other nearby areas of the watershed. Big Creek Cleanup was started as a grass roots after-work project by a handful of Zoo staff in the 1980s. It has grown to include over 50 individuals primarily from Cleveland Metroparks and Friends of Big Creek who donate their time to clean up the local watershed. |
Every year, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks staff and volunteers get wet and dirty as they clean up Big Creek, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River that runs directly through the Zoo and Brookside Reservation. The trash is sorted so that plastic, aluminum and steel are recycled.