THE 3 R's

The Greater Vancouver Zoo is always looking for ways to help keep the environment a little greener and here are some of the ways we are helping:

General Recycling

Visitors can help with the recycling program by depositing their plastic or glass bottles and cans in the applicable containers provided throughout the Zoo.

Staff members recycle all paper products, aluminum, glass, construction recycling, oil filters, batteries, cardboard and plastic. The office staff are extremely green as well by recycling paper, computer and copier cartridges, and any plastic containers. The Zoo's cartridges are purchased through an environmentally friendly partner that also believes in reusing and provides the Zoo with recycled toner cartridges.

Eco-Cell: Cell Phone Recycling

Do you love Gorillas and do you want to save their environment? Bring along your cell-phone for recycling and you can help save wildlife habitats as well as help prevent the dangers from discarded cell phones.

Cell phones are made with an ore called Coltan (columbite-tantalite). This ore is often found in Central Africa in the middle of sensitive wildlife habitats. Mining operations means losses to these habitats and increased hunting. Animals are being killed by rebel bands mining this ore. Reducing the demand for Coltan will help save these animals' lives and their habitats.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo serves as a Silverback Partner with Eco-cell. Eco-cell Silverbacks are leading conservation partners that receive this status when their cell phone collection total reaches 1,000. Our partnership allows you to drop off your phones and accessories whether they work or not (collection boxes at the entrance). Everything that is collected will either be reused or 100% recycled to ensure the proper disposal of obsolete cell phones, batteries and chargers. It is estimated that over 75% of discarded cell phones end up in landfills releasing potentially hazardous chemicals, including antimony, arsenic, copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc. With the average lifespan of a cell phone being only 14 months, there are millions of broken and unusable cell phones with millions being added annually.

For each cell phone that you bring with you at the Zoo, you will receive a two-for-one admission to the Zoo!

The animals (and all of us) thank you!