Separate Your Waste

Coquitlam Collection App

Separate your waste using Coquitlam’s Curbside Collection App. The app can be downloaded for free on Google Play or the App Store or can be used below:

  • My Schedule - Enter your address in the search bar below to find your customized collection schedule, or click the “Get a reminder” button to setup email or phone collection day reminders
  • Waste Wizard - Search local disposal options for over 1,000 different items.

If you would like to stop receiving your collection calendar in the mail each year, please complete the printed collection calendar Opt-out Form

Curbside Collection Separation Guidelines

Thank you for helping Coquitlam work towards our long-term goals of minimizing waste generation and maximizing recycling and reuse.

Separate your waste into one of the following curbside streams:

  1. Garbage Cart - waste that can’t be composted or recycled
  2. Green Cart - food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard trimmings
  3. Recycling - paper, cardboard, and plastic, metal, and glass containers

The City of Coquitlam provides one Garbage Cart and one Green Cart to each house that receives City collection services. Please visit our Cart Repairs and Exchanges page for details on these carts and information about getting your carts repaired or exchanged to a different size. See details below under Curbside Recycling for details on curbside recycling collection.

Set-Out Guidelines

To ensure your Garbage Cart and Green Cart are collected, follow these guidelines on collection day.

  • Unclip the wildlife-resistant clips on your Green Cart. To avoid clip damage on collection day, connect the clips together or to the handles on top of the lid.
  • Set carts so they face out towards the street, with the wheels placed against the curb or edge of the road. Do not block vehicle travel lanes.
  • Place carts 1m apart, 1.5m from any cars, and with 3m of open space above the closed lid.
  • Ensure carts are not overflowing and lids are fully closed.
  • No plastics are allowed in your Green Cart including those labelled biodegradable, compostable, or municipality approved. They do not break down completely and degrade the quality of the finished compost. Please wrap food scraps in paper towel or newspaper or place in paper bags (e.g. Bag to Earth).

Set Out Times

Do not place your cart out the night before collection and note that doing so may result in a $500 fine, as per Solid Waste Management Bylaw No. 4679, 2016 (PDF).

  • Morning collection zones
    •  Garbage and Green Carts between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m. 
    • Recycling between 5:30 and 7 a.m.
  • Afternoon collection zones
    • Garbage and Green Carts between 5:30 and 11 a.m. 
    • Recycling between 5:30 and 10 a.m.

Curbside Recycling 

Curbside recycling is not provided by the City of Coquitlam – it is a service provided at no cost to residents by Recycle BC, a non-profit organization funded by the businesses that supply packaging and paper to residents in British Columbia (not by municipal taxes or utility fees).  Recycle BC contracts GFL Environmental to collect curbside recycling from single-family homes and select multi-family homes in Coquitlam. Visit the Recycle BC website for more information including getting replacement collection containers.  

General Recycling 

For recyclable items that are not accepted in curbside recycling, there are drop-off locations in Coquitlam, as well as organizations who welcome donation of items in good condition. The City also has a Large-Item Pick-Up program - please visit our Recycling page for details on all these services.