Woodland Park Zoo continues commitment to sustainability with launch of reusable cup program: New program in partnership with Levy and Bold Reuse

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications

Today, June 5, is World Environment Day #GenerationRestoration. As we build a better future for wildlife and people, Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, are excited to announce a new partnership with Bold Reuse that will launch a new reusable cup program as another sustainable step closer to ending single use items at the zoo.

Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, launch a new reusable cup program in a new partnership with Bold Reuse. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)

What can zoo visitors expect? It’s simple! All hot and cold beverages purchased at the zoo are now served in reusable cups. After visitors finish sipping a hot or cold beverage, they’ll toss their reusable cups in the new bins where Bold Reuse will sort and sanitize the reusable cups to reduce single-use plastics!

In 2018, Woodland Park Zoo eliminated the sale of single-use plastics for all beverages including water, juice and soda. All the zoo’s vending machines sell canned beverages only. More than three decades ago, the zoo eliminated plastic straws from zoo grounds.

Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, launch a new reusable cup program in a new partnership with Bold Reuse. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)

“This is another proud moment for Woodland Park Zoo, which has long taken a leadership role to inspire our visitors and communities across our region to meaningfully reduce their impact on the planet,” said Joanna Moore, Director of Events and Sales at Woodland Park Zoo. “It’s vital that we, as a zoo and a conservation organization, constantly raise the bar on our own environmental performance and lead by example."

The zoo also has its eye on becoming among the very first zoos to be fully reusable for food and beverage as it transitions to reusable dishware later this year. Its current compostable dishware will be replaced with reusable containers such as plates, trays, boxes and boats. Like the reusable cups, visitors will be prompted to throw the used containers in bins for Bold Reuse to sort and sanitize.

“Our new initiatives at Woodland Park Zoo to switch to reusable cups and soon become fully reusable will help bring our region even closer to adopting sustainable lifestyle changes. What we do on the ground is having a positive impact on our community and we continue to move forward in establishing ourselves as a leading sustainable zoo in the nation,” said David Van Gelder, Director of Operations at Levy.

Green practices are core to how Woodland Park Zoo is protecting the relationship between the planet, its people and its animals. Other zoo practices to reduce its ecological footprint: 

• Diverting more than 75% of waste from landfill through on-site Zoo Doo operations and demonstrating closed-loop approach to integrated resource management.
• The award-winning Humboldt penguin exhibit, which reuses all of its water on site through a combination of rainwater capture, mechanical filtration, biofiltration and geothermal heating.
• On-site composting program which annually transforms more than 625 tons of manure and bedding from the zoo’s animals into Zoo Doo.
• The installation of 60Kw of on-site solar panels through Community Solar funding.
• Eliminating the sale of all single-use plastic beverage bottles, saving an estimated 120,000 plastic bottles from entering the waste stream annually and reducing roughly 2,500 pounds of plastic waste at the zoo.

“We’re incredibly proud to support the ambitious vision of Woodland Park Zoo. A fully circular system for food and drink packaging is becoming a reality through the dedicated collaboration of our teams. We’re excited to lead by example and set the standard for other zoos to follow, significantly reducing waste and championing sustainability for the industry,” said Heather Watkins, Co-Founder, Bold Reuse.

To learn more about Bold Reuse and their mission to end single-use packaging waste, visit https://www.boldreuse.com.

World Environment Day 2024 is focused on how to reverse land degradation, halt desertification and build drought resilience. #GenerationRestoration

Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, launch a new reusable cup program in a new partnership with Bold Reuse. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)