Coquitlam’s waste diversion rate is expected to see a significant jump this year, rising from 55% previously to 73% in 2015, an increase the city attributes to its new automated collection system.
According to a city staff report, organic waste collection is expected to increase by 70% this year compared to 2013 while the number of tonnes of garbage going to the landfill is expected to fall by 40%.
The diversion rate of 73% puts the city well above the regional goal of 65% for all single-family residents.
“It is exceptionally good,” said Jozsef Dioszeghy, the city’s general manager of engineering and public works. “We are in excess of what the region set as a goal.”
Last year, 50,000 new garbage and green waste carts were delivered to approximately 25,000 homes across Coquitlam as part of the implementation process for the new garbage collection system.
The measures coincided with regional efforts to ban organics from the waste stream and Metro Vancouver residents now face fines if they do not properly separate their garbage and green waste.
Food rotting in landfills is a major avoidable source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Metro, which is counting on greatly increased diversion of organics to reduce the amount of garbage going to landfills.
The region also hopes to increase its current 60% recycling rate to 70% next year and 80% by 2020.
In Coquitlam, city staff said garbage collectors check for compliance by opening the lids of bins in order to make sure that waste is being separated properly.
There are also several tools have been popular in encouraging people to take out the organics from their waste stream. A multimedia outreach campaign saw web traffic on the city’s solid waste webpage increase by 600%, while the number of people using the ReCollect App for collection schedules jumped 375%.
Two recycling depots are also available for cardboard, mixed containers and mixed paper and there are season yard trimming pickup twice a year.
• For more information about the city’s waste collection system, go to www.coquitlam.ca/curbsidecollection or www.coquitlam.ca/trashtalk.
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