This shit just got real: Toronto Zoo looking to make crappy deal that everyone is happy about
As the third-largest public zoo in the world, the Toronto Zoo is probably also the third-largest source of publicly funded animal feces (Parliament Hill notwithstanding). Thankfully, plans are underway to do something useful with all that fecal matter.
“We do produce a considerable amount of waste, but I prefer to call it fuel,” Dave Ireland, head of the conservation program at the zoo, told the Star. The zoo is fielding proposals from around 45 companies to set up an “on-site anaerobic digester facility that uses special microbes to convert manure, animal bedding, as well as grease and organic waste from zoo restaurants into biogas.” The gas can be burned to create heat that the winning company will then sell back to the zoo. It’s an interesting take on the circle of life—the bit left out of the first eight minutes of The Lion King.
The project won’t be up and running for a few years, but the zoo will likely approve a proposal by September and green-light plans in February. City council has already given the messy deal its blessing.
While we are pleased with this kind of initiative, we pity the partners of those who will be working on this project, especially if they are in the habit of taking crap from work home with them.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/this-shit-just-got-real-toronto-zoo-looking-to-make-crappy-deal-that-everyone-is-happy-about/&title=This shit just got real: Toronto Zoo looking to make crappy deal that everyone is happy about&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Hippos.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_26031" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Hippos at play at the Toronto Zoo (Image: derekp)"][/caption]
As the third-largest public zoo in the world, the Toronto Zoo is probably also the third-largest source of publicly funded animal feces (Parliament Hill notwithstanding). Thankfully, plans are underway to do something useful with all that fecal matter.
“We do produce a considerable amount of waste, but I prefer to call it fuel,” Dave Ireland, head of the conservation program at the zoo, told the Star. The zoo is fielding proposals from around 45 companies to set up an “on-site anaerobic digester facility that uses special microbes to convert manure, animal bedding, as well as grease and organic waste from zoo restaurants into biogas.” The gas can be burned to create heat that the winning company will then sell back to the zoo. It’s an interesting take on the circle of life—the bit left out of the first eight minutes of The Lion King.
The project won’t be up and running for a few years, but the zoo will likely approve a proposal by September and green-light plans in February. City council has already given the messy deal its blessing.
While we are pleased with this kind of initiative, we pity the partners of those who will be working on this project, especially if they are in the habit of taking crap from work home with them.
• Zoo to use manure to create green energy [Toronto Star]){kind=link}