The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden announced plans to mitigate environmental pollution from its operations and events by 100 percent and become a net-zero organization by 2025. As of June 2023, the zoo reported a significant accomplishment in achieving this goal.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden hosted Zoo La La, an 1800-person event, on June 16, 2023. The organization made arrangements for recyclable and compostable packages to manage all the leftovers from the event. The zoo’s food and retail partner (The SSA Group) provided compostable serviceware and waste bins for leftovers at the event. The 47 vendors at the event also used these items.

During the event, the staff used compostable bags to collect leftovers, which filled a 20-yard dumpster. They transferred about 2,600 pounds of waste to a sorting facility operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC). After sorting, ODRC reported that only 35 pounds of the waste couldn’t be broken down into organic and nutrient-rich compost. The 35-pound waste, about 13 percent of the total, ended up in a landfill.