Bear-resistant garbage cans rolling out in Prince George pilot project

A pilot program is launching in Prince George, B.C., this month to try to combat the number of bears coming into the city in search of food which they often find in the form of garbage.

Three hundred bear-resistant garbage containers are being distributed in the Croft neighbourhood, an area that sees more bear activity than other parts of the city, on April 15.

"We get a lot of calls that go to the provincial conservation officer service saying we're seeing bears in these areas, and about 50 per cent of the calls are because bears are getting into garbage," Prince George parks planner LaurieKosec told Radio West host Sarah Penton.

"Prince George has the highest number of bear sightings in B.C., and an average of 35 local bears are destroyed every year as they usually cannot be successfully rehabilitated after they get used to seeking out garbage."

The City of Prince George has also set up bear-resistant garbage receptacles at city-operated buildings, and along trails where bears are likely to roam.

The new containers, developed by North American waste and recycling company Rehrig Pacific, are designed to beeasy to open for humans, even one-handed while carrying a garbage bag.

The city has invested $100,000 inthe pilot program, with each garbage container priced at five times that of the current ones.

City staff will measure the success of the program based on reports of bear sightings in the city Kosec expects that if bears can't get into garbage, they'll go somewhere else to get food.

If it is successful, the project will be expanded to other areas of the city frequented by bears.

It's one of several measures the city is encouraging residents to take to discourage bears. City staff are also trying to enforce bylaws around picking up fruit in the fall, putting out garbage cans at the right time of day, and managing garbage overall in a way that won't attract bears.

"A lot of that takes education enforcement and all kinds of proactive measures," Kosec said.