Do you have your gold star? 

Residents that show they know how to get with the Green Routine will be rewarded with a shiny new gold sticker!

Ok, well it's not that shiny and more of a yellow than a gold but you get the idea! We want to show your neighbours that you take pride in making sure organics and recycling does not end up in the landfill. Nominate someone you know that does a great job by contacting Utilities with the address and we will come out and give them a gold star!

Cart audits

During the summer months, our street team conduct cart audits. On collection day the team collect data points at each audited property, which includes flipping cart lids and checking blue bags that are set out for collection. They do not sort or take items out of the carts and pictures may be taken if contamination is an issue in one of the streams. They check:

• That the carts and recycling are appropriately placed and spaced;
• That materials are sorted properly and free of contamination to maximize diversion from landfill;
• Whether the cart is broken and needs replacement;
• For participation and set out rates, including number and types of containers/bags; and
• Whether carts are overfilled.

The collection of this data allows us to:

• Note necessary cart replacements;
• Make collection more efficient as we can educate residents about spacing corrections and the proper preparation of materials;
• Address common contamination materials through increased education;
• Recognize households for their efforts; and
• Reduce contamination and make sure we do not have to redirect materials to the landfill or pay extra processing costs for loads that are highly contaminated.

Audits allow us to measure the effectiveness of our program and help us target our marketing and education efforts. If you see our audit team out and about on the street, feel free to say hi or ask them about the program, they're here to help! If you have concerns or complaints please email us at greenroutine@strathcona.ca.