A City team of Environmental Outreach Ambassadors is now conducting random inspections of curbside recycling and yard waste carts as part of its efforts to improve our community’s sorting success rates.
The summer students are using City of Penticton e-bikes to travel throughout the community and are visibly identified as City workers.
“If you see the Ambassadors working in your neighbourhood, keep in mind that they are working hard to help educate residents about the dos and don’ts of what can – and can’t – go into your recycling or yard waste carts,” Madison Poultney, Sustainability Coordinator. “By spotting common errors, we as a community can keep our costs down and keep recyclable materials out of the landfill.”
The goal of the recycle cart inspection program is to understand where residents require additional education about how to dispose of specific items. When staff identify an item in a recycle cart that does not belong, a ‘You’ve Been Spotted’ notice will be left on the cart with a mention of which item should not be placed in your home recycling. This notice is for educational purposes and does not mean your cart will be skipped for collection.
The Ambassadors will also be at the Penticton Downtown Market on Saturdays and popping up at other events throughout the summer to educate residents on recycling best practices and water conservation measures.
Last year’s team of Ambassadors checked 2,000 curbside recycling bins and roughly 185 multi-family recycling containers, clocking 1,500 kilometres on their e-bikes during summer.
Penticton’s goal is to lower the community’s recycling contamination rate from 13.3 per cent to 10 per cent or lower by November. For more information on recycling, visit penticton.ca/recycling and try the ‘What Goes Where’ tool, or phone the Recycle BC Hotline at 1-800-667-4321.