Zoo Doo is Washington zoo’s trash – and your treasure

Do you Zoo Doo? 

No, it's not some crazy new dance trend on TikTok. It's not a fancy coffee blend. It's not the latest technique to maximize your daily efficiency. In fact, Zoo Doo could be called, well, "pretty crappy."

What do zoos do with poo?

Animals poop a lot, and the volume of poop only goes up with the critter involved. That means zoos have a lot of fecal waste to get rid of on a daily basis - but where does it go?

Thankfully, not in landfills. Zoos have learned to repurpose and recycle their animal waste products. Detroit Zoo, for example, transforms its waste into electricity. Other zoos use it to fertilize their garden beds. Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, however, has decided to turn that brown into green.

Woodland Park Zoo will sell its poo to you

Woodland Park Zoo is one of many zoos that offer "Zoo Doo" - a special compost created by the waste of the zoo's herbivores (plant-eating animals).  This compost is sold to anyone interested in getting some fertilizer for their fields or gardens - saving the zoo over $125,000 in disposal costs and helping offload over 500 tons of animal waste.

The "prince of poo," "turd world leader" Dan explains the "green gold" in this older video:

You can get your cheap fertilizer right from the zoo

Farmers and large-scale producers can get large containers and trucks filled up with Zoo Doo on "Fecal Fest" days. By booking in advance, the zoo can ensure that they can fill any containers brought by customers (trucks have to be loaded by hand without assistance.)

For those looking for much smaller amounts of Zoo Doo, the Woodland Park Zoo Store sells pints, quarts, 2-gallons, and 4-gallons. All prices are highly affordable - in fact, below the cost of most marketed fertilizers in retail stores (such as $32 for a four-gallon bucket - something that usually runs over $100).

All options are detailed on the Zoo Doo Compost website.

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The best part about Zoo Doo

The low prices are great, of course. The benefits of buying and using "Zoo Doo" are more than just saving money though. You'll be supporting a local Washington business, helping fund conservation efforts, and partaking in utilizing green fertilizer sources that aren't weighed down by chemicals. It's a win for everyone - and one less thing to go into our landfills.

So if you're growing anything in soil - consider doing the Zoo Doo. Woodland Park Zoo will thank you.

READ MORE: Hey Washington: Don’t Be The Dog Poop Girl