Como Zoo & Conservatory

Como Zoo & Conservatory is a well-known and well-loved public zoo. A tradition for Saint Paul residents, entrance to the zoo is free, and it is frequented by area school groups, daycares, and families. Como receives nearly 2 million visitors throughout the year, most of those during the summer months. The attraction areas include a zoo, a conservatory, and an amusement park.

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department (which manages Como Zoo & Conservatory), Eureka Recycling, and Como Zoo staff partnered to establish a permanent recycling program at the zoo. Conservation is an important part of Como’s mission, and they had a well established green team already committed to lowering the environmental footprint of the zoo.

Visitors to Como generate up to 282 lbs of trash per day on average, but it varies greatly with the seasons and holidays. A busy summer holiday can produce over 2300 lbs of trash in one day! Initial baseline waste sorts showed that about 28% of those public discards could be diverted through recycling bottles and cans.