At Rotterdam Zoo, we manage waste in a sustainable way. Rotterdam Zoo has been working towards sustainable operations for many years. Caring for nature is inseparably linked to caring for the environment. That is why we take a responsible approach to the waste we generate. Behind the scenes, waste is separated at our environmental park and we operate our own composting machine. Visitors can also contribute by returning cans and plastic bottles during their visit.
Behind the scenes at Rotterdam Zoo, we have an environmental park where waste is carefully sorted. This includes, among other things, our manure heap and composting machine. In the composting machine, food waste is processed into compost. This food waste consists of leftover food, which is separated from other types of waste. Within approximately twenty four hours, the machine converts the waste into compost. From every ten kilograms of food waste, around one and a half kilograms of compost remains. This compost, together with compost produced from organic household waste, is collected and used in agriculture and arable farming.
At Rotterdam Zoo, visitors can return both cans and plastic bottles at specially designated collection machines. The items are collected in two separate containers. Thanks to this separate collection, cans and bottles can be recycled into new cans and bottles.
By returning your empty plastic bottles and cans, you also support a good cause: the sea turtle conservation project on Sint Eustatius. Sea turtles worldwide are threatened by plastic pollution in the oceans. The project on Sint Eustatius conducts research on sea turtles by fitting them with special transmitters that allow researchers to track their movements. These transmitters are partly funded by Rotterdam Zoo.
In addition to plastic bottles and cans, visitors can also hand in old mobile phones at Rotterdam Zoo. Recycling phones helps recover valuable raw materials and prevents the destruction of the western gorilla’s habitat for mining purposes. Would you like to learn more?