Frequently Asked Questions

Starting Monday, November 30, the City’s contractor will be exchanging existing carts in the pilot neighbourhoods for new gravity locking carts over several collection days. Please ensure the following:

1. Set your carts out for collection by 7:30 a.m. on your collection day.
2. After your carts have been emptied, leave them at the curb until 5 p.m. to allow time for the contractor to complete the exchange.
3. If your carts have not been exchanged by 5 p.m., store them securely on your property.
4. Continue setting your carts out as scheduled on collection days until the exchange is completed.

The gravity lock is a latching devices on the lid and body of the waste containers that remains engaged to keep the cart locked and secured, only to disengage when manually unlocked, or when the cart is turned fully upside down (180°) by the automated waste collections.

The lock is bear-resistant. The purpose of this pilot project is to test how effective these locks are at keeping bears out of carts on collection day. If given enough time, a bear will always be able to break into a plastic waste cart. For this reason, the Gravity Lock Cart must be stored in a garage or shed outside of collection day.

No. If you received a formal letter in the mail regarding this pilot project, your home will receive gravity-locking carts equal to the size carts currently assigned to your property.

No. If you do not want the City to replace your current Garbage and Green Cart with Gravity Locking Carts, please contact us before November 30 to opt-out.

If you are delivered Gravity Locking waste carts and decide you no longer want to use them, you may contact the City at any time to have them exchanged for your original City-issued carts.

No. Residents will not be charged to participate in this pilot project and there will be no increase to the annual utility bill.

If the gravity locking cart is damaged or does not work as intended, it will be replaced with your original City-issued cart at no cost to you.

If your cart is lost or stolen, staff will attempt to locate it. If the gravity locking cart cannot be recovered, it will be replaced with your original City-issued cart. To help protect your cart, we recommend recording the cart serial number, writing your address on the lid, and storing carts securely on your property between collection days.

The gravity locks on the carts can require a little force to engage. Try firmly pressing on the top of the lid where the locking mechanism is until you can confirm that the lock is engaged.

Please notify Coquitlam Solid Waste Operations immediately. This is very helpful information that will help us determine if these new gravity locking waste carts are effective or not. If a gravity locking cart is damaged by an animal, it will be replaced with your original City-issued carts.

Yes. Different cart models are being tested in your area. Carts were randomly distributed to select neighbourhood pockets to preserve the integrity of the research and to determine their suitability for household waste collection in Coquitlam.

City staff will be collecting feedback from both residents and waste collectors on each cart type. This feedback will help determine how effective each cart is at preventing wildlife access on collection days, along with other important factors.

No. To keep costs low, the City ordered the exact number of carts required to conduct this pilot based on the cart sizes each household currently uses. There are no options to exchange your cart for a different size or model.

If you need to change the size of your cart, you may do so but you will be provided with a standard cart currently used throughout the City. To request a cart exchange, please complete an Exchange Request Form.

No. We will only deliver new gravity locking waste carts if we are able to remove the original City-issued carts assigned to your property. If at any point you would like to stop using the new gravity locking waste carts and have your old carts returned, please contact Solid Waste Operations directly to request this.

For all questions or concerns about the gravity locking carts, please contact Solid Waste Operations at 604-927-4300 or email GravityLock@coquitlam.ca.

If you have specific wildlife questions or concerns, please contact Urban Wildlife at 604-927-3660 or email UrbanWildlife@coquitlam.ca.