Dickerson Park Zoo recycling smart phones to support flamingo conservation

Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri is collecting and recycling old smart phones and tablets to support flamingo conservation.

In partnership with Kentucky-based Eco-Cell, Dickerson Park Zoo is now serving as a collection site for old phones and electronics, with a drop box located in the zoo's gift shop.

"Eco-Cell is the result of zoo conservation programming," said owner Eric Ronay.

"Through our zoo partners we learned how wildlife is affected by the manufacture of electronics and created a company designed to mitigate that impact by recycling electronic gadgets."

Per a press release, lithium is an essential component of batteries in smart phones, tablets and other electronics, but it's mined from the habitats of Andean highland flamingos in Chile.

As demand for lithium continues to rise, recycling old phones and tablets is one way for visitors to the zoo to contribute to conservation efforts.

"It's an interesting conundrum," said zoo spokesperson Joey Powell. "The demand for clean, renewable energy isn't always so clean and renewable."

Powell added, "Think of it as a modern day soda can recycling opportunity. Only, this recycling program makes a global impact."

Zoo visitors can donate old electronics

Dickerson Park Zoo said smart phones and tablets should be wiped clean of all data before they are donated. Items that can be recycled include iPods, mp3 players, smartwatches, and digital cameras, in addition to the cords and cables that came with the devices.

Other North American zoos to announce new sustainability initiatives in recent months include the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and Canada's Toronto Zoo.

The former has launched a new waste reduction project, and the latter has expanded its reusable packaging programme.

Images courtesy of Dickerson Park Zoo