EARLY CLOSURE

The zoo will close early at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2026 for our annual fundraising event.

A close-up of a small turtle being gently held by a persons hand, with the turtle’s head and part of its shell clearly visible against a blurred outdoor background.

Bold Reuse

Returnable Cup Program

As we build a better future for wildlife and people, Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, are excited to announce a new partnership with Bold Reuse that will launch a new returnable cup program as another sustainable step closer to ending single use items at the zoo.

A plastic cup with a green sleeve labeled RETURN ME FOR REUSE stands on a surface, with a blurred yellow background. The cup is marked Property of Woodland Park Zoo and Please do not take home.

What Can Zoo Visitors Expect?

It’s simple! All cold beverages purchased at the zoo are now served in durable, returnable cups. After visitors finish sipping their beverage, they’ll toss their returnable cups in the new bins where Bold will sort and sanitize the reusable cups to reduce single-use plastics!

In 2018, Woodland Park Zoo eliminated the sale of single-use plastics for all beverages including water, juice and soda and were replaced with canned beverages. Eliminating the sale of all single-use plastic beverage bottles saves an estimated 120,000 plastic bottles from entering the waste stream annually and reduces roughly 2,500 pounds of plastic waste at the zoo. More than three decades ago, the zoo eliminated plastic straws from zoo grounds.

“Our new initiatives at Woodland Park Zoo to switch to reusable cups and soon become fully reusable will help bring our region even closer to adopting sustainable lifestyle changes. What we do on the ground is having a positive impact on our community and we continue to move forward in establishing ourselves as a leading sustainable zoo in the nation,”

David Van Gelder, Director of Operations at Levy

Reduce Plastic Waste

We need your help to make our zero waste goals a success!

A sign on a black bin reads, “RETURN REUSABLE CUPS HERE!” with images of two reusable cups and instructions to return them for reuse, set outdoors with greenery in the background.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Return cups at designated receptacles around the zoo labeled Bold Reuse in bright green
  • Oops! Brought a Bold Reuse cup home? No problem! Drop it off at South gate, West gate admissions or CWC Reception
  • Bring a reusable water bottle and fill up at our free filling stations
  • Be mindful of what you bring into the zoo. Can you swap a single-use bag for a reusable one? Every bit helps!

Learn more about Bold Reuse at the zoo