Bear-Proof Bins & Lids

On the North Coast, a garbage bin is never just a garbage bin. Black bears and grizzly bears both live in the region, along with ravens, eagles and gulls that will pick apart anything left open. A bear-proof garbage bin keeps food waste from becoming food for wildlife. Big Dog Disposal & Recycling offers bear-proof lids as an option on our front-load bins for businesses in Prince Rupert and along the North Coast.

Why garbage matters so much to bears

A bear’s sense of smell is among the strongest of any land animal, and it spends much of the year trying to put on weight. Garbage is about as easy a meal as a bear can find: calorie-dense, in the same place every night, and refilled every day. Once a bear learns that a bin means food, it comes back, and it loses its wariness of people and buildings along the way.

That is the start of a familiar story in BC. A bear that has become used to human food grows bolder, shows up in parking lots and back doors, and becomes a safety risk. Wildlife officials often have no good option left at that point, and bears that become conditioned to garbage are frequently destroyed. Securing the garbage in the first place is the single most effective way to break that chain, which is why conservation groups put it at the top of every list.

What a bear-proof lid does

An ordinary bin lid is meant to keep rain out. A bear can flip it open with one paw. Bear-resistant designs generally rely on a few things: a sturdy lid that can’t be bent or pried up, a latch that takes a human hand or tool to open, and no gaps along the edges for claws to work into. Pair a bear-proof lid with a padlock or lock bar and the bin also stays closed to people looking for somewhere to dump their own garbage.

A lid only protects what is inside a closed bin. The weak point in most wildlife problems is not the hardware but the habit: a lid propped open with a box, a latch that someone didn’t bother to close, a bag set beside a full bin at closing time.

Habits that keep bears away

• Close and latch it every time. Make it part of each shift’s closing routine, not an afterthought.
• Never leave bags beside the bin. If the bin is full, keep the extra inside until it can go in, and talk to us about a larger size.
• Keep the area clean. Spilled grease, food scraps and drippings around the bin attract animals even when the lid is locked.
• Separate cardboard. A cardboard recycling bin frees up space in the waste bin so it closes properly.
• Think about placement. Where you have a choice, keep the bin out of tall brush and away from doors staff use after dark.

Which businesses need them most

Restaurants, cafés, grocery stores, fish and seafood businesses, hotels and anyone else whose waste includes food are the obvious candidates. So are businesses near the edge of town, near greenbelts or near the water, where wildlife moves through regularly. Even an office bin can draw animals if staff throw out lunch scraps.

Rules about attractants

BC treats wildlife attractants seriously. Under provincial wildlife law, conservation officers can require people and businesses to secure garbage that is attracting dangerous wildlife, and fines are possible. Municipalities can have their own bylaws on top of that. We can’t speak for the City’s rules, so if you’re unsure what applies to your property, check with the City of Prince Rupert or the BC Conservation Officer Service. Our guide to bear-proof garbage bins explains the background and what to look for.

Setting up a bear-proof bin

Bear-proof lids are an option on our front-load bins in 3, 4 and 6 cubic yards. All three are 5′9″ wide; the 3-yard bin is 4′3″ high, the 4-yard is 4′6″ and the 6-yard is 5′5″. Call 778-884-8484 or email bigdogdisposal@outlook.com, Monday to Friday from 7 am to 6 pm, or request a quote. Tell us about your business, the waste you produce and where the bin will sit, and we’ll go over the lid and lock options with you.