London launches recycling initiative

The initiative was launched as part of the PLA’s drive to make use of materials that would otherwise by thrown away. So far, two pallets of rope and lifting strops that were previously used to tie up boats on the Thames have been recycled for use as scratch posts by lions and leopards in a big cat sanctuary in Kent, UK. Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF) collected the first two pallets last month.

“It’s really rewarding to know that something we’ve finished with has been given another lease of life,” said Tanya Ferry, environment manager, PLA. “It helps reduce the waste we are producing, and cuts the Foundation’s spending on ropes, which can be expensive.”

In addition, a 10m plastic pipe dumped in the Thames and salvaged by PLA staff will be fashioned into play tunnels for meerkats at the WHF’s sister site in Hertfordshire.

“The plastic pipe was found in the Thames near central London and had been with us for a while. As we can’t use it ourselves, what better way to reuse it, than to let meerkats have some fun?” added Danny March, marine manager, PLA.

The 38-acre WHF site near Ashford, Kent, is home to a huge range of cats, including pumas, cheetahs, leopards and lions. They are encouraged to breed as part of a painstaking programme that let cats at the park thrive.