Nashville Zoo stops plastic water bottle sales to avoid waste

Zoom in: Aluminum cans were selected as an alternative because they are highly recyclable, whereas plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times.

By the numbers: In 2025, the zoo reported selling 106,000 bottles of water on site.

The big picture: Plastic pollution endangers the animal population worldwide.

• To illustrate the problems associated with plastic waste, the zoo pointed to a 2018 report that the Tennessee River contained an exponentially higher concentration of microplastics than other major rivers around the world.