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2022 Recycling Infrastructure Grant

$705,029 was awarded to DZS from EGLE as part of a $881,286 project to advance the DZS goals to improve diversion from the landfill and reduce contamination of recycling. The project has 3 Focus Areas: 1- Planning/design/construction of a building to manage back-of-house recycling, 2- Equipment and vehicles, and 3- Pilot programs to evaluate containers at the point-of-disposal.

water-bottle-refill-station

Water Bottle Phase-Out Program

During your next trip to the Zoo, bring your own bottle or purchase an inexpensive one from any of our concession stands and fill up at one of our 21 free filtered-water stations. We are keeping 60,000 plastic bottles out of the waste stream annually by no longer selling plastic single-use water bottles.

Trash and Recycling Containers

We have acquired and placed more than 140 recycling and trash containers throughout the Zoo. The circular openings on the recycling container allow for better sorting of recyclable materials. Waste and recycling containers are also paired, so that guests will always have the option to recycle, rather than put their items in a landfill.

boardwalk

Boardwalk Recycled Materials

The boardwalk at the Cotton Family Wetlands is constructed with a material made of 50% plastic bags, 45% recycled hardwood and 5% polymers. Products like these keep materials out of landfills and turn them into a valuable building material.

Electronic Waste Recycling

Recycling electronic waste (eWaste) helps to reduce disturbances to habitats threatened by mining or other intrusive removal practices and supports diverting the needless disposal of precious metals from landfills. EWaste generated by DZS is recycled throughout the year. You can too! Here are some opportunities to get you started:

  1. Gorillas on the Line Campaign (February 1 – April 30)
  2. DZS America Recycles Day eWaste Collection (week of November 15)
  3. County Resources
  4. Community Resources
  5. Direct to the Electronic Manufacturer (year-round)

5 Ways to Recycle Year-round

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Zoo Map Recycling

This container is located at the exit of the Zoo so that guest may recycle their maps. The maps are refolded by volunteers and reused whenever possible. If they cannot be reused, they are recycled with the rest of our paper products.