Coquitlam homeowners who get their garbage picked up by the city are now putting less trash in the landfill.
A city report, released at Monday's council-in-committee meeting, shows garbage tonnage went down 39% in July and August versus the same two months last year.
And tonnage for organics - i.e., kitchen scraps and yard trimmings - rose 40% by comparison.
The drastic changes are a result of the switch-over on July 2 to BFI Canada as well as to the collection schedule itself: trash in Coquitlam is now picked up every two weeks while organic waste is gathered weekly.
Still, the new automated system has had a few hiccups along the way, the committee heard.
For example, some residents have been told to place their bins along the street as several lanes can't be serviced with the larger, automated trucks because of dead ends or obstructions like fences. That has caused difficulties for seniors unable to haul them from the back.
As well, owners of larger properties have voiced concern about the reduced collection for big piles of yard waste. In the past, pickup of leaves and other yard waste was unlimited and year-round; now, the unlimited program is only in the spring and fall (city staff recommend boosting the size of the green cart to 360 L, which doesn't affect utility bills and there is free yard waste drop-off at Wastech on United Boulevard).
Adjustments also had to be made to a few collection zones as other zones - such as on Burke Mountain - are growing rapidly (each collection zone has about 6,200 homes).
The committee also heard that, since April, the number of eReminders sent out by the city has increased significantly: from 1,200 to 7,000 for ReCollect alerts; from 740 to 5,200 for mobile app installations for smartphones; and from 5,000 to 17,000 for online searches of addresses via the city website.
Meanwhile, Coquitlam residents wanting a different size cart for trash or green waste have until December to exchange it at no cost. Call the city's engineering department at 604-927-3500 or visit coquitlam.ca/trashtalk for details.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
