If you're scared of bears rummaging through your garbage, the City of Prince George is hoping they may have found a solution.
The city announced today (Dec. 6), they are working with the Northern Bear Awareness Society as well as the B.C. Conservation Service to select an appropriate area of the city to test 300 bear-resistant garbage cans in the spring of 2019.
The bear-resistant bins will be swapped for normal garbage bins.
“As with any pilot project, the city is going to be monitoring the success of these bins and listening to feedback from residents,” Sean LeBrun, manager of parks and solid waste says in a press release. “We will also continue to work with the Northern Bear Awareness Society and B.C. Conservation Society to identify the areas of the city that will most benefit from these bins due to a particularly high volume of calls to the Service Centre about problems with bears.”
The 95-gallon bins are automated and remain locked until they are almost fully inverted by a city vehicle during garbage collection. They remain easy for humans to unlock with one hand but it prevents bears from opening a container with their claws, paws and teeth.
The city says these bins are more robustly designed which make it extremely difficult for a bear to damage but rest assured they are light enough that a person can manoeuvre them.
The only drawback? Cost.
One bear-resistant bin will set someone back $235 compared to the regular, large-sized city bin which is listed at $70. This is one of the main reasons a pilot project is being implemented before any final decision is made.
Bear resistant bins are already used by the city on trails and along the river, where bears are more likely to be.
"The city reminds residents that while bear-resistant containers can help reduce the number of bear-human interactions and bears that must be destroyed as a result, being bear smart begins with finding a sensible place to store garbage," the press release says.
