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SAANICHNEWS Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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Hungry critters considered in garbage revamp Standardized bins sturdy enough to stave off curious animals attracted by smells Christine van Reeuwyk News staff
The eating habits of raccoons and bears were among the considerations for Saanich, as a new waste collection program rolls out this spring. Garbage, fruit, compost and even unclean barbecues are known animal attractants in residential neighbourhoods, something Saanich considered when purchasing the new household bins, currently being distributed throughout the municipality. While the green organic collection bins have a clamp to keep the lid closed tight, the black garbage carts do not. Saanich says the bins should hold off any animal approaches, even if a smelly, fishy piece of aluminum foil makes its way into the trash. “They’re wind-tested and it takes a fairly large animal to knock them over; a raccoon can’t knock them over,” Dave McAra, Saanich’s manager of solid waste services, said of the new bins’ sturdiness. “For them to open the lid, it’s almost impossible.” Saanich residents will soon have to separate kitchen scraps, food leftovers and food-soiled paper products from their household
garbage by way of different garbage and organic collections bins. The move comes as the Capital Regional District implements a ban on kitchen scraps at Hartland Landfill beginning in January 2015. As the program rolls out later this spring, a resident bear in the Prospect Lake area will require that Saanich stays on top of the issue. “We’re going to monitor that situation. These carts are probably more stable than the current (garbage bins people use),” McAra said. He said residents in the rural community have taken their own steps in the past to keep their garbage bins from attracting bears. According to the B.C. Conservation Foundation, some easy solutions include storing bins in a secure location and ensuring lids are closed tight. Putting bins out on collection day, as opposed the night before, also minimizes the potential to attract the bear. “Even bear-proof carts aren’t bear proof,” McAra added. “The best solution really … is for people to take ownership of that problem. This isn’t a new problem just because we introduced new carts.”
PLEASE SEE:
Wild animals nothing new, Page A9
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Dance like everybody’s watching Cymbelene Jimenez, 2, skips gracefully during a junior ballet class at the Westcoast Academy of Performing Arts in the Braefoot Activity Centre on McKenzie Avenue.
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