Circular ARTIS
ARTIS uses its waste streams to make new products.
Elephants excrete as much as 100 kilos per elephant per day. Together with students from the AMS Institute, ARTIS has developed a sustainable park bench made of elephant dung.
The bench consists of 65% elephant dung and 35% recycled plastic.
You can sit on one of these benches at ARTIS Zoo, overlooking the Asian elephants’ enclosure. Once the bench reaches the end of its useful life, the supplier will take the planks back to be reused.
Bokashi
ARTIS has already been working for a long time on ways of reusing manure, which is often full of valuable nutrients. For example, a local farmer in Amsterdam transforms some of the elephant manure into ‘bokashi’. This Japanese term refers to a fermented blend of manure, plant residues and microorganisms. Bokashi is a sustainable alternative to artificial fertiliser and is used to improve the soil in the zoo, for example in the edible garden and vegetable gardens.
Food waste
Food waste is fast becoming a thing of the past at ARTIS. In 2022, ARTIS and catering partner Vermaat launched a project trialling a smart scale aimed at reducing waste. The scale uses a sensor to measure the type and amount of food being discarded. This data is then used to adjust the menu to minimise waste. Circularity is also being put to use in other parts of the zoo, such as in furniture, toilet paper, clothing and products for sale in the shop.
