Cleaning Up Coquitlam with Boro and Beyond, Web of Life, and 100 Community Volunteers

On April 11th, our Volunteer Wave community had the pleasure of joining a large-scale community clean-up in Coquitlam, BC, organized by local media and marketing company Boro and Beyond. Covering Town Centre Park, the Coquitlam River, and Glen Park, the event brought together over 100 community-minded volunteers from 10 AM to 2 PM.

We were invited into the event through our wonderful Community Partner, Web of Life, an environmental stewardship non-profit based in the Lower Mainland. Together, our Volunteer Wave community, Web of Life, and the team at Boro and Beyond made for an incredible collaboration that we are so grateful to have been a part of.

Armed with free garbage pickers to take home (thanks to the generous event sponsors!) and garbage bags in hand, volunteers spread out across the large area in small groups. Our Volunteer Wave community and Web of Life teamed up and created a large 15-person group. Guided by Carl from Web of Life, we made a 15-minute trek along the parks and across the bridge to two garbage hotspots he had identified through satellite imaging. Even with the many similar clean ups we’ve been a part of, what we found was still striking: an abandoned encampment and what appeared to be a long-time illegal dumping site, filled with wordsearch books, journals, pots, pans, mattresses, tarps, carpets, tents, an LED "open" sign, batteries, and more. A small, impromptu group of our volunteers even went on a mini adventure hunting down used tires hidden deep in the trails– it was a bit of an escape room experience all on its own! They successfully found two tires (Great job, Serena, Sybil, Peter, and Long!).

Between the large items– mattresses, sheet metal, wires, ropes, and metal rods– and over 15 bags of garbage collected, our group made a serious dent. And when everyone gathered back at the park Amphitheatre at the end of the event, we were blown away to learn that other volunteers had collected over 4,000 cigarette butts and other litter, from the parks alone. To wrap up the event, exciting door prizes from local businesses were handed out to some lucky recipients. Appreciation prizes were well-deserved to recognize the volunteers’ hard work!

None of this would have been possible without the incredible husband-and-wife team behind Boro and Beyond, the support of the City of Coquitlam, and the Indigenous Elders who welcomed us into the clean-up space. A huge thank you to all the sponsors who made the day possible: Infinity Properties, Webild, Townline, Return-It, Coquitlam Search and Rescue, DMack Driving School, What's On! Coquitlam, Food Link Society, Cassandra Cake Co., and Rocky Point Ice Cream.

And, the momentum doesn't stop here! With a Neighbourhood Small Grant from the City of Coquitlam on the horizon, we are already planning our next outdoor clean-up at Hoy Creek on Sunday, June 21st, 2026. Keep an eye on Bloomerang to reserve your spot. The more, the merrier!