Communities across B.C. have recognized the City of Port Coquitlam’s innovative approach to both waste reduction and online communications.

At the Union of BC Municipalities’ annual awards ceremony held in Vancouver earlier this morning, the City received first place in the Best Practices – Leadership & Innovation Award category for large urban municipalities (recognizing environmental leadership), as well as an honourable mention in the Best Practices – Website category.

This is the second year in a row the City has been recognized by the UBCM. Last year, the City won the UBCM’s Best Practices – Civic Engagement Award for its success in using its website and social media to engage the community.

This year’s Leadership & Innovation Award singled out Port Coquitlam’s waste-reduction strategy from among various other environmental initiatives for demonstrating measurable results in protecting B.C.’s environment and for its originality, relevance and transferability.

The City’s waste-reduction journey began in 2004, when its new automated collection system – the first in Western Canada – introduced the concept of three-cart waste-sorting to the community.

With the launch of a phased strategy in 2008, Port Coquitlam became the first city in Metro Vancouver to take several bold steps to reduce waste: collection of fruit/vegetable scraps in 2008, collection of all food scraps/food-soiled papers in 2009, alternate-week garbage collection in 2010, and offering food scraps collection to all multi-family homes and schools in 2011.

The results have been many-fold: 26 per cent less waste going to the landfill compared to 2009, a savings of $164,500 in 2010 in operations and disposal costs, and a reduction of 9,600 L in diesel use and 98 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases. Additionally, the diversion of 1,182 tonnes of green cart materials (e.g. food scraps and yard trimmings) in 2010 is estimated to have reduced a similar tonnage of landfill-related GHGs.

Building on these efforts, the City launched a Waste-Loss Challenge in September that encourages residents to watch their “waste-line” and divert even more away from the landfill. Like all City initiatives, the Waste-Loss Challenge leverages the website to deliver information and resources.