Detroit Zoo Giving Out Buckets Of Animal Poo To Visitors

ROYAL OAK, MI — It’s a “dung deal.” The Detroit Zoo will be handing out buckets of animal poop to guests on April 14 as part of its Earth Day celebration and education. The first 1,000 guests to the zoo’s sixth annual GreenFest will receive a token for a 5-gallon bucket to be filled with free Detroit Zoo poo, an herbivore compost processed in the zoo’s anaerobic digester and produced in partnership with Detroit Dirt.

GreenFest runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14 and is dedicated to observing Earth Day, which falls on April 22 this year.

The festivities are meant to engage the community in environmental stewardship. And while the buckets of poo are the most notable part of the zoo’s Earth Day celebration, there’s plenty more in store. But first, more about this poop.

The anaerobic digester, located behind the scenes at the Detroit Zoo, annually converts 500 tons of animal manure and other organic waste into methane-rich gas to help power the zoo’s animal hospital, leaving a nutrient-rich fertilizer as a byproduct. GreenFest will feature a sustainability tour highlighting the anaerobic digester – the first in Michigan and the only zoo-based system of its kind in the country.

Then there’s the zoo’s other sustainability programs. These include diverting 60,000 plastic bottles from of the waste stream annually by discontinuing the sale of bottled water on Detroit Zoo grounds and using permeable pavement in visitor pathways and a parking lot. Guests will also learn about the zoo’s cricket-breeding program, rain gardens and solar energy system, among other green efforts.

GreenFest guests can also explore farm-to-table food options, expand their science knowledge during chemistry demonstrations, make window decals to prevent bird strikes and take a green pledge to join the Detroit Zoo on its Green Journey.

Detroit Dirt will be on hand to talk about composting, and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners will provide information on conservation programs and green initiatives in Oakland County. All GreenFestactivities are free with Detroit Zoo admission.

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