Taking Notes from Fern, Glenn, and Friends: Supporting Sustainability at Woodland Park Zoo

At Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, curiosity drives exploration across the grounds. You will find it in Fern and Juniper, the young brown bears foraging along the Living Northwest Trail. You will see it in the way tropical birds carefully select nesting materials or how snakes explore new surfaces with precision. Even Glenn the Rhino, known for his contributions to the Zoo Doo composting program, stands as a symbol of the zoo’s commitment to sustainability.

That same curiosity fuels the zoo’s latest effort to better understand the waste generated at its events and how advanced waste management can support both environmental goals and animal care.

To support this initiative, the zoo engaged APTIM to conduct comprehensive waste assessments for key events. With an emphasis on the zoo’s zero waste goals, APTIM sustainability solutions professionals and zoo volunteers are analyzing the zoo’s trash, recycling, and compost waste streams to identify opportunities to minimize waste generation and reduce contamination.

What’s in the Bin: APTIM’s Process

In early July, Woodland Park Zoo hosted its Jungle Party, a major fundraising event to enhance animal habitats, support the Fund Our Futures campaign, and develop the new Forest Trailhead exhibit. While guests enjoyed dinner and live auctions, the event also presented a unique opportunity to analyze the zoo’s waste stream. The morning after the event, APTIM’s field team arrived on site and set up a dedicated sorting area, complete with sorting bins, scales, and data collection tablets.

Alongside zoo volunteers, APTIM’s employees sorted materials collected from the event’s trash, recycling, and compost into detailed categories like food scraps, glass, aluminum, plastic film, and compostable serviceware. Every item was weighed, photographed, and logged using APTIM’s data tools.

As bins filled, lead sustainability solutions professionals reviewed materials for accuracy before transferring them to the appropriate post sort containers. APTIM coordinated with the zoo’s sustainability team before the sort to ensure all materials were properly handled afterward. By day’s end, hundreds of data points had been compiled to guide the zoo in evaluating current processes and informing future improvements.

The zoo strives to reduce waste by implementing sustainable materials, such as compostables, that support composting operations and create nutrient-rich soil amendments. It is the same spirit behind Glenn the Rhino’s daily routine: his contributions account for 15% of the zoo’s Zoo Doo composting program, transforming organics into nutrient-rich soil.

The zoo is improving processes through this detailed sorting. Much like Fern and Juniper sorting berries to determine which are edible, hands-on sorting supports informed decision-making.

From birds carefully selecting nest materials to reptiles navigating their environments with precision, every animal contributes to the zoo’s sustainability story. Through its efforts to examine event waste, Woodland Park Zoo extends that story to every bin.

Flowcode: A Small Scan with a Big Impact

In addition to sorting what goes into the bins, APTIM and Woodland Park Zoo are partnering to improve guest engagement and advance zero waste goals. One of the newest tools supporting that effort is Flowcode, a technology that brings real-time information directly to guests through simple, scannable QR codes.

Much like the animals investigating their surroundings with intent, Flowcode helps uncover the factors influencing each disposal decision. APTIM piloted the technology during the Jungle Party, where attendees scanned a code and responded to a short survey about their waste-sorting experience. Flowcode’s analytics, called Flowlytics, provide APTIM and Woodland Park Zoo with data-driven insights not previously visible, revealing behavior patterns and common areas of confusion that inform targeted education and process improvements. Now, Flowcode, APTIM, and Woodland Park Zoo are collaborating to expand these efforts and further reduce contamination.

When guests feel confident about how to sort, contamination declines, compost quality improves, and more materials are reused or recycled, supporting measurable waste diversion and advancing the zoo’s sustainability outcomes.

The codes themselves may be small, but Flowcode plays a big role in helping the zoo achieve its mission: creating a more sustainable, informed, and environmentally responsible guest interaction.

Learning Through Curiosity

Waste sorting might not be the most glamorous part of operating a zoo, it is one of the most meaningful components of advancing sustainability. Every piece of data collected, and every pound of material diverted represents a measurable step toward a cleaner, healthier future for communities, ecosystems, and the animals that depend on them.

Just as Fern and Juniper explore their surroundings through foraging and play, Woodland Park Zoo has adopted a hands-on, data-informed approach to sustainability. Across the zoo, animals model the importance of resourcefulness and balance. Glenn the Rhino contributes significantly to the Zoo Doo composting program, birds build nests using natural and reused materials, and reptiles thrive in carefully maintained environments where even minor changes have significant impacts. Each species depends on a healthy, balanced ecosystem, and the zoo’s ongoing commitment to improving waste strategies strengthens that foundation every day.

At APTIM, we’re proud to collaborate with the Woodland Park Zoo on these efforts and remain dedicated to supporting the growth of its sustainability initiatives. Caring for animals and protecting the planet are inherently connected, and meaningful progress often begins by examining what is in the waste bin.

Partnering for a Greener Future

At APTIM, we believe that impactful sustainability begins with curiosity, collaboration, and practical, results-driven solutions. Our work with Woodland Park Zoo demonstrates our dedication to partnering with organizations across industries, from zoological institutes to large venues, to better understand waste streams, engage audiences, and develop more efficient environmental systems.

Learn more about how APTIM supports sustainability goals.

Published August 2025