Driverless Lawn Mowers Help City Maintain Grass and Parkland

Edmonton's first electric, driverless lawn mowers are almost ready to roll. On June 21, the mower's became fully operational and are currently GPS mapping their assigned area, which can take up to two weeks. GPS will then be able to guide each mower with an invisible electric line to keep the vehicle in its determined area.

"The City is continuously looking for ways to use innovative technology to reduce our carbon footprint," said Olivier Le Tynevez-Dobel, Supervisor, Turf and Sports Fields. "The autonomous mower navigates areas of any complexity - even ones with slopes and obstacles. It is the future of turf operations."

The mowers can operate 24/7 in a variety of weather conditions. Compared to a conventional lawn mower, the autonomous mower is relatively light, weighing between 15 to 30 pounds. The mowers are rechargeable and will last from four to six hours depending on the density of the grass. Mowers are designed to return to their designated charging stations if they're running low on power.

The mowers are able to detect objects from a distance and will lower their speed to avoid collisions. This makes them safe for kids, pets, and wildlife to be around. Since the mowers run on batteries, they don't produce any emissions or consume a large amount of energy. They even leave the tiny grass clippings behind, which act as a natural fertilizer.

Visit edmonton.ca Parkland Maintenance
Visit edmonton.ca/GoBagless

   

Tell One Friend: Go Bagless this Summer!

Image provided by the City of Edmonton

Tell One Friend: Go Bagless this summer!

In the summer months, over half the waste collected in Edmonton is grass clippings. Going bagless and leaving the clippings on the lawn is the number one way to reduce waste this time of year. It's easy, good for your lawn and great for the environment!

Encourage friends and neighbours to request a “Go Bagless” lawn sign. They will be entered into a draw to win a free checkup and tuneup for their lawnmower at the Lawnmower Hospital.

Learn more at edmonton.ca/gobagless.

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Use these ideas to remind your friends, family and co-workers:

Change habits
“Going bagless is easy, it’s good for your lawn and less work for you.”

Prompt them
"You don't need to buy a special mower to go bagless. You can take the bag off your current mower and raise the cutting blade."

One small ask
"Will you try going bagless this summer?"

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Going bagless is easy. Here’s how to get started.

• Mow high so that no more than ⅓ of the grass blade is removed.
• Mow often. Mow every 4-5 days during heavy growth season, and once a week when growth is slower.
• Mow when the grass is dry to prevent clumping.
• Make sure your mower blade is sharp.
• If grass clippings end up on your sidewalk, just sweep them back onto your lawn.

Visit edmonton.ca/reusecentre for more about the Reuse Centre.
Next Tell One Friend: Visit Compost 'S Cool Previous Tell One Friend: Use Your Compost!

     

Edmonton "Leaves It On The Lawn"

Myles shared his passion with a presentation at Pecha Kucha Night 16.
(He starts 12 minutes into the video)

 


Notice the crowd cheer as Myles points out that bagging grass is an outdated behaviour, originating when the first lawn mower was designed with a bag to catch clippings. Times have changed and now people understand that grassclippings are great for lawn health. Over half of Edmonton leaves our clippings on the lawn!


Start a conversation about grasscycling with your friends, they can enter a draw to win a mulching mower at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com

You may notice our summer street crew in
your neighbourhood, we'll tell you
about their role sometime soon.

You can ask for a lawn sign at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com