Toronto zoo to gain digester

TORONTO – The federal government is investing up to $2.7 million, subject to a formal funding agreement, to help ZooShare Biogas add new digester technology to its existing biogas plant in Toronto, which turns animal waste from the Toronto Zoo into agricultural fertilizer.

The project will divert waste from landfills, turning it instead into a commercially viable commodity, and will reduce carbon pollution.

The ZooShare Biogas Plant in Toronto, Ontario will receive up to $2.7 million in funding, subject to a formal funding agreement, through the Low Carbon Economy Challenge Champions stream. This funding received helps pay for an expansion of the plant processing capacity so it can divert even more organic material from landfills.

Funding will also help ZooShare install new self-cleaning digester technology that separates organic material and contaminants like plastics. That means an even higher quality end product will be available to local farms since more contaminants are removed.

ZooShare works with nearby farms that can use the resulting natural product as a high nutrient, viable alternative to chemical fertilizers.