Keep bears out of your garbage

The Regional Waste Reduction Office is reminding residents-please do your part to keep your neighborhood safe by managing all things that attract wildlife around your home, including your household garbage.

Conservation Officers confirm this has been an extremely active bear season with higher than normal bear sightings and complaint calls, due partly to the wildfires across the region but also extreme drought conditions sending bears searching new locales for food.  CO’s have received a much higher than normal call volume with bears regularly spotted in several neighborhoods from South East Kelowna to West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland.

Waste Reduction Facilitator Rae Stewart says now is the time to be extra careful and manage  our behaviour accordingly.  “This is the time of year bears amp up their foraging to build fat stores for winter denning. The best advice if you live in an area susceptible to wildlife is - reduce your risk of conflict- take responsibility for your garbage.”

Stewart reminds residents to store garbage securely, and only put your garbage out the day of pickup, not the night before. “Bears in particular, but other animals as well, have a keen sense of smell. The idea is not to attract them to your garbage unnecessarily. If they have access to your waste, not only can they make a real mess, but they can become food conditioned. Then they pose a risk to you and your family and pets, your neighbors, and themselves. And that’s totally preventable.”

Stewart adds the Regional Waste Reduction Office in conjunction with waste contractor E360s is now into the final phase of a bear cart pilot project testing various models of bear resistant garbage carts in select neighborhoods throughout the region.  “Dependent on the results of the pilot and how those carts have been standing up to bear activity, there may be bear resistant cart options for residents by spring of next year.”

As part of a pilot project this year with the Regional District, the WildSafeBC Central Okanagan program has been working right across the region to monitor carts out the night before, and bear and wildlife activity in general, as well as providing education across the region for residents. WildSafeBC Coordinator, Meg Bjordal says “It’s important for residents to understand that they have a critical role in preventing conflicts with bears and other wildlife, which is through attractant management”.

WildSafeBC has great tips you can follow to help keep wildlife wild and the community safe:

• Secure your garbage – store it in a secure location indoors or a bear-resistant enclosure. Also secure Yard Waste cart if it contains fruit.
• Only put garbage out for collection on the morning of pickup, not the night before
• Encourage neighbors to do the same, offer to help if needed
• Consider freezing your kitchen waste until the morning of collection day
• Manage your fruit trees, pick ripe & fallen fruit immediately
• Maintain your compost so it doesn’t smell. Add fruit slowly. No meat/dairy.
• Use birdbaths and houses to attract birds, instead of bird feeders

Please report human-bear conflicts to the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1.877.952.7277

For more information on deterring bears from your garbage, visit the WildSafeBC website: https://wildsafebc.com/species/black-bear/.  For additional inquiries, visit rdco.com/recycle, email recycle@rdco.com or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250.469.6250.