Boulder backs off bear-resistant trash bins in favor of education, 'bear pledge'

City will rely on education program rather than costly test program 

A pilot program to disperse bear-resistant trash bins in neighborhoods near Boulder's foothills has been scrapped because the budget would only allow for 33 homes to be outfitted with the costly receptacles -- and that's too small of a sample to be effective, according to city officials.

Instead, Boulder leaders plan to spend $10,000 on an educational campaign this spring -- one that will include going door-to-door to ask residents to take a "bear pledge" signaling their intention to secure their trash to prevent bears from rummaging through it, according to a city memo on the Black Bear Urban Wildlife Management Plan.


Each bear-resistant container costs roughly $225, according to the memo, which would mean the bins would be provided for just one or two city blocks. And, since bears' foraging patterns have varied from year to year, there's no guarantee they'd be highly active in the areas where the secured bins were being tested.

At the same time, officials with trash hauler Western Disposal aren't too enthusiastic about the bear-resistant bins, saying they haven't picked up in popularity among Boulder residents.

The bins resemble traditional containers but feature an inner locking mechanism that can be flipped open with a fingertip, said Western Disposal spokesman Dan Powers. And while they've proven effective, he hesitates to call them entirely "bear-proof."

Living with bears 
Black bears are curious and will east almost anything. Here's a few tips for preventing bears from visiting your neighborhood:

1. Secure your trash

2. Remove bird feeders

3. Keep barbecues clean

4. Keep pet food indoors

5. Keep garage doors closed

6. Secure windows and doors

7. Be responsible about trash and bird feeders

8. Don't leave food or trash inside your vehicle

9. Pick fruit before it ripens, clean up fallen fruit

Source: City of Aspen and Pitkin County 

A few years ago, the trash-hauling company purchased 200 of the bear-resistant bins for $40,000, said Bryce Isaacson, vice president of sales and marketing. But only 87 Boulder residents have purchased the bins -- which also cost $10 extra a month to service because it takes truck drivers longer to collect from the bins since they need to be manually opened.

"People are interested in them until they find out it costs more -- then they don't want them," Isaacson said. "The city is backing away because to go out and buy all those carts for just a small area is not economically justifiable."

A large-scale bear study in Durango includes a $250,000 budget for the distribution of bear-resistant trash bins this spring.

Valerie Matheson, Boulder's urban wildlife coordinator, said the city is interested in hearing from residents who already have the bear-resistant trash bins.

Concerns about bears

But the focus of the city's plan for dealing with black bears has shifted to be more about education. The efforts will target homes south of Arapahoe Avenue, east of Ninth Street and north of Baseline Road. Officials will begin visiting households in late April.  

Wildlife officials have reason to be concerned about bears foraging in trash cans as rangers have reported finding scat with traces of cigarette butts, aluminum foil and other household items, Matheson said.

Black bears eat roughly 8,000 calories a day in the summer and 20,000 calories a day in the fall, leading up to their winter hibernation. Garbage and bird feed will lure them into more urban areas when they are foraging, and, once they're classified as "nuisance" bears they are at risk of being killed by state wildlife officers. Since 2003, there have been seven nuisance bears killed by wildlife officials in Boulder.

"I think people don't always make that association -- that if a bear is a nuisance, it can be destroyed," Matheson said. "Bears have lost their lives because we haven't secured our trash."

While there have been no attacks on humans by black bears within the city, the presence of the predators poses safety risks and bear activity has been reported in areas where children walk to school, according to the city memo.

Education efforts

As part of the education campaign, officials will remind residents of city codes -- including one, for example, that prohibits trash, recyclables and compostables from being placed outside for collection before 5 a.m. on trash day.

The city will also survey residents about what obstacles they face in securing trash, improve its website to include more information about bear activity and increase staff monitoring of bears trash.

Further details of the "bear pledge" have not been made public.

Last fall, city and wildlife officials noticed an increase in bear activity in western Boulder between Arapahoe and Baseline roads. The number of trash cans knocked over by bears in that area was in the hundreds, according to the memo, and bears visited several houses a few times.

The city also is planning a neighborhood public meeting in late April or early May.

Article  http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_20298177/boulder-backs-off-bear-resistant-trash-bins-favor 
Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at 303-473-1132 or [email protected].