Are Goats Washington’s New Zero Waste Strategy?

When you hear about zero waste policies, Washington D.C. is typically not the place that comes to mind. However, the Congressional Cemetery has been a very public proving ground for a zero-waste method of landscaping that uses no fuel, and which puts out only a small amount of methane.

That method is goats; grazing goats provide a win-win.

According to NPR, the herd of 30 goats that’s been given landscaping duties in the Congressional Cemetery is a fantastic example of a no-waste solution. The goats crop the grass, but they also have a taste for invasive species (poison ivy, in particular, is like candy for these four-legged groundskeepers). Their eating habits keep creepers off the trees, make sure the grass is cropped, and when they’re finished processing all that waste, they fertilize the cemetery.

The herd isn’t a permanent addition to the cemetery, though (despite the gift shop full of goat-themed merchandise). A herd of goats being left on the land for two weeks to clear all the unwanted plants can cost over $4,000. An anonymous donor is covering the cost for the Congressional Cemetery, but even in D.C. that isn’t a small bill.

Or is it?

When you consider the size of the area that a herd of 30 goats can clear in half a month. The fact that they cause no noise, use no tools, and consume no fuel, and that they fertilize the land in the process, $4,000 might actually be a bargain for a zero waste way to keep the land looking good.