The introduction of green cart kitchen waste collection in Coquitlam last fall should not increase the number of bear sightings in the municipality this summer, according to the city's Bear Aware co-ordinator.
Drake Stephens told The Tri-City News that while compostable waste such as meat and dairy will no longer be sealed in plastic garbage bags, he does not believe it will make any real difference in the number of bears that wander into residential neighbourhoods.
He said bears can smell attractants from miles away, regardless of whether they are sealed in a bag.
"We are still putting out the same stuff, it is just going into a different can," he said. "If it is done right, it shouldn't add any more problems."
But he said it's important that residents keep their compostables indoors until collection day. He added that some people use odourless containers to store their kitchen waste while others put it in empty ice cream buckets and freeze it.
One thing people should avoid, Stephens said, is leaving their compost in the green bin outside until collection day. With the hot sun beating down on the plastic container, peels, meats and dairy will quickly rot, increasing the amount of odours the waste gives off.
"I have been freezing mine in a plastic Ziploc baggy," he said. "On collection, day I put it in my container and it barely has time to thaw, let alone smell by the time they pick it up."
So far, bear season is off to a slow start. Stephens said there have been only a couple of sightings along Victoria Drive in northeast Coquitlam and one incident where a bear was disturbed out of its den by construction.
Asked whether the Tri-Cities will have a busy bear season, Stephens said it all depends on the weather.
If wet, rainy weather continues into May and June, it is possible that the berry crop will be washed out, forcing bears to find other food sources - including garbage. Warmer weather will mean more berries and an abundance of natural food sources for the animals.
"If this weather continues for two months, it wouldn't be good," Stephens said. "It is when we have cold, wet Mays and Junes that bears turn to garbage."
Following Port Coquitlam and Port Moody initiatives, the green can collection program began in Coquitlam in October 2010. Residents are encouraged to put all their kitchen composts - including meat, peels, egg shells and dairy products - in the same bin as their grass clippings and yard trimmings.
The city hopes the increased collection of compostables will not only save money on Metro Vancouver garbage tipping fees but help the municipality with its waste-diversion goal of 70% by 2015.
