Between the pets living in our homes and the vast number of animals living on farms, in zoos and assorted other facilities across the country, there is a lot of bodily waste being produced each year. Traditionally, it is either added to our landfills or if it's produced by herbivores, it is converted into garden manure. As our world adopts a greener perspective, we are beginning to realize that it's no longer just a bunch of sh*t -- there's a lot more to animal excrement than meets the eye. From EcoFaeBricks -- the 75% processed, biogas-fired cow dung building material that looks practically identical to conventional clay bricks -- to animal excrement writing paper ranging in varieties from sheep, bison, kangaroo and panda bear to wombat, elephant and reindeer, processed animal waste is fast becoming a raw commodity that is affordable, recyclable, and a new form of green currency.
Bloomington, Illinois-based Miller Park Zoo recently made headlines with their wildly popular, dime-sized upcycled, pearlescent reindeer pellet necklaces and Christmas ornaments, priced at $15.00 and $7.50 respectively. The dehydrated and autoclave-sanitized glitter-enhanced sparklers yielded the animal facility $20,884 in profits this season alone, proving that the public will shell out cash for somewhat novel, inarguably green products that have been around the block...or in this case on the stable floor. Throughout history, fashion trends have demonstrated that everything old is new again, so why should animal waste be any different?
The vast numbers of cattle grazing in the U.S. alone are responsible for producing an estimated 1.5 to 2 trillion pounds of manure each year, so it definitely behooves us to find a way to make the most of this perpetually-replenishing resource beyond the typical soil amendments. Herbivores such as cattle, hippos, gorillas, deer, buffalos and horses consume primarily plant based nutrients with lower protein levels, yielding a very fibrous, minimally scented by-product that can be easily converted into traditional soil fertilizer after being processed and sterilized, but it is capable of being transformed into so much more. Developing countries commonly use dried cow dung as a source of fuel but the resulting methane is also used as a renewable form of biogas. Floors and walls are also lined with the raw material, not only to repel insects but also to thermally insulate structures in a very affordable manner. Manure-based fiberboard building panels and other structural products are also currently in development because the vegetable manure fibers lock together far more effectively than their wood-based originals.
Carnivore waste, on the other hand, generally contains parasites due to the presence of animal-based proteins and emits a much stronger odor, so it must be given greater processing attention via 132-degree Fahrenheit temperatures. While most facilities landfill this type of waste, when heated properly, it is also just as recyclable as its herbivore-produced counterpart. Companies like Colorado-based EnviroWagg are now composting dog waste (which is primarily animal-protein based) and selling it as a soil amendment for $3.50 per 17 pound bag under the brand name, "Doggone Good Compost." Though very expensive to build, liquefied manure methane digesters are capable of producing electricity - in fact the New York Times says that "one of the first major manure biodiesel plants in the United States will use the millions of pounds of waste produced by the 500,000 pigs at a Smithfield Foods operation in Utah."
No longer just an intermittent news item, the practice of recycling animal waste is on its way to becoming main stream. The excrement generated from Miami's Metrozoo giraffes, rhinos and elephants alone adds up to an astounding 550 tons, but they are in the process of recycling it into compost which will ultimately used to augment their onsite landscaping materials and also be sold to South Florida farms as a nutritive fertilizer. Other animal care facilities around the country are following suit, such as the Oregon Zoo with their ambitious 100% herbivore manure "ZooDoo" composting program and the San Francisco Zoo's yearly 20,000 cubic yard composting efforts. The Denver Zoo has achieved major kudos in recently history due to the implementation of a 95% waste stream recycling plan which will reduce 1.5 million pounds of landfill waste and convert all animal excrement and plastic trash generated in the facility into the energy necessary to power their 10-acre permanent Asian animal installation. All hail the phoenix power of poo!
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