The city of Port Coquitlam is hoping a metal brace that can be strapped to locks to tighten waste cart lids will make it tougher for bruins to feast on residential waste.
The pilot project will start when the metal straps arrive from a local fabrication shop in six weeks. They can be hooked onto the cart locks and will be used in bear-prone areas where waste cart locks don’t seem to work.
“The bears get their paws under the lids and force it open,” explained Tom Madigan, section manager of fleet and solid waste for the city of Port Coquitlam, who said a really determined bear can still get into garbage and green waste carts even with locks, especially if the cart lids are heated by the sun and become more flexible.
The pilot project is all part of a long-term effort by the city of PoCo to make garbage and green waste carts more wildlife resistant.
But Madigan wants people to know that waste cart locks and the new straps won’t guarantee a bear can’t get access to the contents and he advises people to take other strategies to deter bears as well.
For example, he recommends freezing food waste and depositing it in the bin on pick up day, to keep down the smell, or locking up green waste and garbage in a garage or sturdy shed to prevent bears from getting in.
Madigan said the pubic mistakenly believes it’s up to the city to bear proof waste bins, but in fact it’s the residents’ responsibility to manage their attractants.
“To me this is a partnership," Madigan said. "It’s about finding solutions.”
In 2015, the city distributed 11,195 cart locks for 240 litre bins and 1,369 for 360 litre bins in bear prone areas in north and south PoCo but a year ago ran out of the locks for the larger bins.
People have been asking for them, Madigan said, and he expects to get a delivery of the waste cart locks for the larger bins also in about six weeks.
He also said people who didn’t get a cart lock and want one can also get one. A replacement lock costs $50.
