Energetic City announces innovative recycling education partnership

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The City of Fort St. John has officially announced a partnership with clean-tech company Prairie Robotics.

Through the partnership, the city will be utilizing the Saskatchewan-based company’s audit technology for recycling collection.

Previously, the city did manual cart audits to reduce contamination that garnered significant improvements, but these audits can now be performed automatically by using the firm’s hardware and software platform.

When the Prairie Robotics system finds contamination, a postcard with the contamination pictured will be produced and reviewed by city staff before being sent to the resident for education purposes.

Jeremy Garner, director of Public Works and Utilities for the City of Fort St. John, understands that mistakes happen.

“We know that most residents try their best to recycle properly, but sometimes we all need some help to remind us – that’s why this partnership with Prairie Robotics is so important. By reducing contamination, we can ensure the safety of those sorting our materials and that all recycled materials can have a long life cycle with multiple uses.”

This is an example of a postcard:

The partnership comes after years of attempts by the city to reduce contamination levels, including the implementation of a three-strike rule.

In 2020, 20 violations and $2,000 in fines were issued to residents who weren’t recycling correctly.

To figure out what goes where regarding garbage and recycling, The City recommends the Waste Wise App.