By now, you should have received your brand new garbage tote from Carney's Waste Systems, and if you haven't yet, it is on the way.
The totes as they are delivered are not bear resistant. The plastic material is very durable and will resist the strong teeth and claws of even the most intent bear for a period of time. The lid, however, is the weak link when it comes to keeping bears out of the tote and consequently, out of your driveway, yard, or neighbourhood. If you are unable to store your tote in a secure bear-resistant manner or area such as a garage or wildlife resistant enclosure, it will be necessary to add bear-proofing hardware to the tote.
In the world of bears and bear resistance testing, as a general rule of thumb, if you can open it with a crow bar, it's not bear resistant. Prefab or plywood sheds, depending on how they are constructed, are often not bear resistant. In fact, it has been concluded from years of observation and study within Whistler that enclosures actually teach bears to become experts at breaking and entering when they are consistently rewarded with garbage for their efforts. It has been determined that the bears who have learned to break into outbuildings and enclosures can, and often do, turn their attention towards houses for their next B&E. If a bear breaks into a building for reward, it has made the fatal step to what bear specialists refer to in bear lingo as a "full body commitment". These bears are usually destroyed.
So, if you do not have a secure place in which to store your new tote, you had best have a bear-proofing kit added to it. Once your tote has the kit installed, it is necessary to unlock the lids when they are placed curbside on the day of collection.
Volunteers for the Squamish Bear Network and Bear Aware will be visiting as many homes as possible in Squamish with information regarding bear-proofing the new totes. All residents, businesses, organizations and operations, need to ensure that any receptacles containing bear attractants must be resistant to wildlife to be in compliance with the Wildlife Attractants Bylaw. These upgrades will help ensure the ongoing safety of humans and bruin alike in all of our neighbourhoods.
For further information on installing bear-proofing kits, please call Carney's at 604-892-5675. If you are unsure as to whether or not you have a bear-resistant storage area please call Bear Aware at 604-815-5066 to arrange for the Bear Aware coordinator to have a look at your options.
