That’s the same weight as 70,000 blue whales! 

To help tackle all this waste, we’re celebrating this year’s Global Recycling Day theme - Don’t think waste, think opportunity.  

By turning today’s rubbish into tomorrow’s treasure, we can all help protect our planet.

And that’s something that our volunteer Docents have been doing for years!

These recycling heroes see endless possibilities in the 300+ items they collect every week.

Using their creativity superpowers, they reuse and repurpose what would be rubbish into enrichment activities for our primates and carnivores.

That means all our orangutans, gibbons, monkeys, sun bears and other animals get to stay curious and use their natural behaviours and instincts - all thanks to recycled materials!

Plastic containers

What do you do with empty ice cream, milk, or yoghurt tubs? We turn them into cool summer fun.

Th fill the containers with ice or jelly packed with fruit and veggies. Once frozen, they become giant icy poles!

A great way to beat the hot on a hot day.

 

Wrapping paper 

We’re all guilty of having leftover wrapping paper lying around at home.

When celebrating our animals’ birthdays, our volunteers prepare “presents” filled with tasty foods and wrap them in recycled paper.

Our primates are clever tool‑users who love to explore and investigate. This kind of enrichment gives them a hands on challenge they need to be tactile. 

It’s a delight to see the animals tearing them open to discover the surprise inside!



Postage or paper tubes

And it’s not just the paper that gets reused - the tubes do too!

When filled with peanut butter or honey, the long paper tubes are the perfect way to keep our sun bears busy for ages!

They use their long, curly tongues and sharp claws to get every last morsel out. 

Just like they do in the wild when reaching for honey in tree hollows or insects in anthills and termite mounds!



Used material

Old bed sheets, hessian sacks, blankets, and even bath towels get a second life with our Orangutan family.

They use these materials to build cosy nests, comfy beds or even shelter from the rain! In their natural habitats, orangutans use branches and leaves to carefully build cosy nests high up in the trees. The clever constructions are safe places to sleep and stay out of the weather. 



Cardboard boxes

And for a bit of extra fun, our Docents transform cardboard boxes into ‘zebras’ and ‘giraffes’ for our lions to ‘prey’ on.

With a meaty treat hidden inside and decorated with ears and stripes, it’s a great way for the lion pride to practice their pounce.  

Lions in the wild hunt for their food every three to four days, so practising these natural skills is super important.
This enrichment helps our lions stay strong and active! 



Now it’s your turn!

How many everyday items can you reuse for your pets — or even for yourself?

Try these ideas:

• Ice cream containers make great moulds for frozen treats on hot days.
• Paper tubes are awesome treat puzzles! Try spreading a little peanut butter inside and see how long it keeps your pup busy!
• Old bed sheets can be cut and knotted into a fun tug toy.
• Towels you don’t use anymore are perfect for drying off after a beach swim.

Think you've got what it takes to help our team turn trash into enrichment treasure? Come meet the volunteer team on 18 April at our docent information morning!