ZooDoo is being ‘kicked out’ of Auckland Zoo after 30 years.
Instead of recycling animal manure on site, for the last six months the animal excrement has been driven off site to EnviroWaste, who have dumped the ‘doos’ in landfill instead of recycling it. That’s what I was told. I love the zoo so I decided to get to the bottom of this.
ZooDoo is part of the eco-friendly plan for the zoo that has given them carbon zero status for six years. ZooDoo NZ is a working arrangement between Auckland Zoo, Second Chance Enterprises and Auckland DHB. Second Chance was started by a group of people who dealt with survivors of suicide and their families. Most of these survivors wanted one common thing - a reason to get up in the morning - a job.
Manager Peter Jan has decided to close down ZooDoo completely, saying, “Over those 30 years ZooDoo have recycled over 14,000 tonnes of waste on site, saving the Auckland Zoo and the ratepayers of Auckland over $4 million in tip fees. Now about 3 tonnes of elephant manure will be sent to landfill each week costing Auckland ratepayers approximately $900 per week. This is on top of the 2.5 tonnes of ungulate [herbivore] manure already going to landfill costing $750 per week.”
Delivery of the waste to the onsite ZooDoo compound was only two minutes away while EnviroWaste process is to collect a skip of waste, take it to their transfer station, unload and have it re-loaded onto a bigger truck to take it to their composting facility in Hampton Downs 60 minutes away.
The Horticultural Society, at the end of Motions Road, five minutes from the Zoo, would have been the perfect space to relocate ZooDoo. The society had plans to reinstate their magnificent gardens with community composting; unfortunately this was not supported by the previous Waitematā Local Board.
Auckland Zoo director, Kevin Buley, says that zoo visitors have increased from 300,000 a year to over 720,000 over those 30 years. Moreover, heavy machinery driving around a site with a fixed footprint of 20 hectares, among the pedestrians, especially children, is a health and safety issue.
The Zoo’s priority is to maximise the value of site use and to reflect their core values of conservation and protection of endangered wildlife. Recent developments within the master plan have included replacement of underground services and new improved habitats for orangutan, tiger, otter and crocodile.
Only 10% of the manure comes from zoo herbivores, as it requires outside product mixed in. The largest contributors to the raw product were the elephants. The dung has halved since Anjalee moved across the ditch to her new home, and Burma is due to leave within a year. That leaves excretion from giraffe, zebra, rhino, bison, waterbuck and antelope to be mixed with green matter to be composted to make the ‘doos’. The smelly, noxious waste of carnivores and primates is dumped in landfill because there is no biodigester plant in New Zealand.
Life on Earth exists in 6 inches of soil. We need to be making more soil, not dumping it. (GAEL BALDOCK, Community Advocate)
Auckland Zoo’s responds:
We would like our community to be aware that the ZooDoo waste recycling programme has not been involved and not been taken into account in terms of our carbon zero calculations, audits and accreditation. Since 2015, as part of our sustainability journey, Auckland Zoo has reduced its waste to landfill by more than 80%, which includes animal, staff and visitor waste.
Ratepayer contributions to the zoo account for less than 40% of the zoo’s running costs, so any costs to safely dispose of animal manure will be significantly less than stated (we estimate around $250 per week once ZooDoo ceases its operations), as is the amount of animal manure produced each week. For example, an elephant produces approximately 560-700kgs of manure each week, not the three tonnes stated.
The amount of ungulate (herbivorous hoofed animals) manure produced is also substantially less than the 2.5 tonnes stated, at around 600-700kgs per week. Up until now this waste has been composted outside the zoo and we are working with our partners to further improve reduction and recycling of all the waste coming from the zoo.
We really value the social impact that the ZooDoo programme has had for 30 years at Auckland Zoo and are exploring ways we can continue to support the Work Foundations (formerly DHB) programmes at the zoo, including opportunities to redeploy the Work Foundation service users after Second Chance Enterprises ceases operations in December.
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