COQUITLAM, B.C., October 6, 2023 – October is Circular Economy Month and Coquitlam is inviting residents to bring their smaller household items to get repaired, instead of disposing of or replacing them. The first Repair Café event is on Sunday, October 15 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Dogwood Pavilion (1655 Winslow Avenue).
Visit coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe for details on what items you can bring to the October 15 event and for volunteer application info.
What are Repair Cafés?
Repair Cafés are volunteer-run events where residents can bring broken items to be repaired for free. Some examples include clothing, furniture, electrical appliances and gadgets, bicycles, toys, etc. Volunteers with skills in repairing a variety of items will provide a learning environment for participants who bring items to be repaired. Repair Cafés help to build community and reduce waste at the same time — a win-win!
Call for Volunteers and Event Provider
The City is looking for volunteers who are handy, like tinkering and fixing things, or who simply want to help out in the community. Coquitlam is also seeking a local organization that would run ongoing Repair Café events with support from the City. All the details can be found at coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe.
What is the Circular Economy?
In 2022, the Circular Innovation Council expanded Waste Reduction Week into Circular Economy Month to share about the opportunities beyond our “take – make – waste” economy. A circular economy is based on the idea that there is no such thing as waste.
In our present economy, materials are taken from the earth and products created from those resources are disposed of as trash when they are finished — the process is linear. In the circular economy, the goal is to design products with their end of life in mind, recovering and reusing materials to prevent waste in the first place.
The responsibility falls to manufacturers to make longer-lasting and more efficient products designed with repair and reuse as primary considerations. Consumers’ responsibility is to consider purchasing smartly designed products meant to be reused, refurbished, and dismantled. Residents can support companies that offer take-back of products after use, as well as participate in City programs like the Repair Café that contribute to recovery or the reuse of materials.
The circular economy has an important role to play in addressing climate change by reducing emissions associated with how we make and use products and produce and dispose of food. To learn more about how Coquitlam is taking climate action visit letstalkcoquitlam.ca/climateplan .
Other City Tools to Support Circular Economy
The City of Coquitlam offers a number of programs and tools to help local residents and businesses reduce their waste, as well as water and energy consumption.
- Composting – Turn yard trimmings and food scraps into rich soil for your garden; the City offers composting tips and backyard composters at a subsidized price of $28. (coquitlam.ca/WasteReduction)
- Curbside Collection app – Residents who receive City waste collection can download the free Coquitlam Curbside Collection app to receive helpful waste-reduction tips, waste sorting information and reminders for collection days, as well as notifications for special programs such as the free Seasonal Unlimited Yard Trimmings collection. (coquitlam.ca/recollect)
- Recycling – In addition to the curbside recycling offered by Recycle BC, the City has a recycling depot available to Coquitlam residents free of charge in Town Centre Park and residents can also use the United Boulevard Recycling & Waste Centre (coquitlam.ca/Recycling).
- Waste Wizard – Use this online search tool to find out how to properly dispose of any item. (coquitlam.ca/WasteWizard)
We’re Already Seeing Results
Coquitlam is among Metro Vancouver’s highest diversion rate at 71 per cent, which shows that our community is keeping recyclable material out of the landfill.
Some other waste-diversion successes in Coquitlam:
- In 2022, residents kept over 16,000 tonnes of yard trimmings and food waste out of the landfill.
- The waste from Green Cart collection is made into compost and the City makes around 1,000 bags available to residents each year through its free compost giveaway event.
- For over 10 years, Coquitlam has been organizing the City-Wide Garage Sale and Giveaway Event where thousands of participants have prevented tonnes of useful items from going to waste.
- Over 20,000 tonnes of mattresses and box springs have been recycled through the Large Item Pick-Up Program since 2014.
- Between 100 and 150 residents bring recyclables to the Town Centre Recycling Depot each day.
Media contact:
Jenny Tough
Environmental Education Enforcement Manager
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.