Stop curbside garbage collection!

Get over it. I've had 40 years of curbside pickup in Rossland. Only time I've had a problem was when the do-gooders forced 'animal proof' containers on us. Then I had a bear in my garbage - never before. However, that was the one and only time I've had a bear in my garbage - and that wasn't curbside.  Curbside pickup just doesn't seem to be a bear problem - raven and dog, yes. Just because others have too many attractants around their property is no reason to force the rest of us to do without curb side pickup. Knock off the politically correct gabble!

I was born is Canmore and lived there untill I was 18 and I think the community bear garbage bins are an excellent idea... and we didn`t have to buy stickers at the grocery store. Just walk on over to your bear biin and toss your stuff in!
We rarely had bears in town BUT  Canmore also doesn`t allow compost, bird & hummbird feeders and has few fruit trees.

I still think the bear proof bins are an excellent idea and a fantastic first step. Keep bears wild!

Open a land fill outside of town. Will not see another bear in town. 

So open a landfill to keep the bears out of town by keeping them eating garbage full time at a dump? That's beyond ignorant.

I think a practicle and proactive step forward is issuing and enforcing bylaw fines for unescesary and excessive bear attractants.  Sadly it seems most people wont enact change unless it affects/costs them directly.

enforce bylaws hhahahahahahah, they don't even enforce real law up here. Bl hahahahhahahahh

I just want to remind people here that there are families and individuals living in our amazing city that don't own vehicles or have licenses.  Driving to locations with heavy bags of garbage is not an option for them and constantly relying on someone else to do that for them is a burden. 

If driving to a central bear proof garage collection is not a viable option, then the city MUST enforce bylaws regarding bear attractants. There are many communities in bear country that are taking action. Sadly, Rossland is not one of them. I saw this story on Global News in May. The City of Coquitlam is taking action against repeat offenders. Fines/warnings given for overnight garbage and recycling, improper composting, fallen fruit not being picked up and bird feeders during active bear months. Being a wonderful alpine city is more than just awesome snow removal.

https://reportca.net/2017/05/city-of-coquitlam-issues-double-the-number-...

Rossland has an opportunity to become a leader in garbage collection and recycling, and wildlife management, to other communities and cities. It would be costly for sure, but if it's something that works and the community supports and takes pride in I think it's worth it. I would rather us be a place that other towns and communities look to for answers than just idly be one that tries to copy other programs that may or may not work for us. 

Rossland has an opportunity to become a leader in garbage collection and recycling, and wildlife management, to other communities and cities. It would be costly for sure, but if it's something that works and the community supports and takes pride in I think it's worth it. I would rather us be a place that other towns and communities look to for answers than just idly be one that tries to copy other programs that may or may not work for us. 

Looking to leaders in the movement for co-existence with wildlife is a good starting point. As of March 2017, eight communities in BC have achieved a "Bear Smart" designation - Coquitlam, New Denver, Naramata, Kamloops, Squamish, Lion's Bay, Whistler and Port Alberni.

WHEN I RETURN HOME I WILL HOST A COMMUNITY MEETING FOR THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP BRAINSTORM AND GET SOMETHING MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. IF THIS INTERESTS YOU CONTACT ME. 

TENNILKE@SALONKULA.CA

TENNILLE@SALONKULA.CA

FYI for the walk/ride/scooter to school today. It's curbside collection day and the Washington / First Ave area is strewn with garbage, one hungry bear visible wandering the streets, tipping over bins and tearing open bags. 

I've been talking to other communities about what they do, and the pros and cons.  So far talked to Canmore, Banff, Golden, Salmo and Whistler.  Calls in to Castlegar and Revvie.  Quick summary so far: centralized collection has some problems.  Main one is people dump their crap at the bins - paint cans, appliances, mattresses, etc.  Some cities avoid this by having a free large item collection service, but that's tax dollars.  Also the City would have to site a bunch of bins and that would mean setting off fights about where to put them (or where NOT to put them), and maybe mean having to annex (buy) land.  And people with mobility issues might have problems.  Individual bear proof bins seem to work, and people can store their garbage in them outside during the week if they want.  But they are expensive - Golden paid $166 each for theirs.  Plus might have to retrofit the collection trucks.  At least $200K for a system like that.  Will keep looking around - am presenting a summary report to Council on Monday.

Thanks so much for your prompt attention, Aaron.

I'd just like to say that I find our present city council is very responsive to suggestions and complaints. They're often doing ALLLLLLLL kinds of work behind the scenes of which the general public is not aware. 

As Aaron commented, people are the problem, not the  bears.  I am one of those who has been raised, since early childhood, where bears and all other wild life were plentiful.  In places like Uranium City, Love Saskatchewan, Fort Nelson and now Rossland, bears have been part of my life.  In my 77 years, I have known only one person to be harmed by a "town" scavaging black bear.  (A bear in Fort Nelson hopped in the back of a pickup beside a fellow who was throwing out his house hold garbage.  The bear was content until the guy decide to kick the bear.)

The problem is that people have been taught that black bears are wanton, human eating animals soare deathly afraid of them.  Like a human mother, a mother black bear will do anything to feed and protect her babies.  It is actually very rare that a black bear will attack and kill a human who gets between her and her cubs.  Most city dwellers just do not understand the habits and language of a black bear.  Yes, they actually do have a well established language that they will recognize coming from a human.  Most of their language is body language.  Whoofing, snapping jaws, sitting with an open jaw turning their head from side to side all mean something different.  These are a posturing language or warnings.  

In short, don't do anything to a bear in your yard that will cause it to become defensive.  Don't throw things at it and don't shout at it to try and scare it it away.  Give it its space and it will give you yours.

A centeral garbage dump/landfill actually does keep bears out of town.  Remember Rossland's garbage dump just south of town?  No bears in town:  now they are all over town.  The town of Fort Nelson decided to fence off their lgarbage dump.  Before; very few bears in town.  The year they fenced off the dump, they had to hire an idiot who shot 44 bears in one summer.

In the 125 years of Rosssland's history, how many people have been harmed by a black bear?

Well said Les. :)

"Give it its space and it will give you yours".

Perfectly said. 

Update on the experience of household level bear proof bins: in Golden the problem was that the homeowner locked the bins during the week and then had to unlock it at curbside.  So sometimes they didn't unlock it - problem.  And when they did unlock it, the bears could get at it.  Not any improvement over what we're doing now, really.  In Revelstoke they did a pilot test of household bear-proof bins, without the locking thing - they had a bear-proof latch.  Huge problems with the latches freezing and breaking in the winter (and the one truck equipped to empty those bins broke down) so they scrapped the idea.

Just on Les' point - I totally agree that black bears aren't usually a danger to people, though nobody likes having their car or basement broken into, and there've been more than a few of those this spring.  And nobody likes picking up other peoples' garbage that some bear ransacked in your yard.  But it's not just about danger to humans.  It would be nice to shoot fewer bears.

I think the "user fee" system of garbage collection in Rossland is a problem. People will store garbage on their property for 2 or 3 weeks at a time to avoid paying paying for an extra garbage bag. If not stored securely, 2 or 3 weeks worth of garbage can become quite an attractant.

Aaron Crsbey - thank you for taking this matter seriously! Have you looked to the 8 communities in BC that have achieved "Bear Smart" status in BC? What have they done in terms of garbage storage, collection, and bylaw enforcement? It is an interesting mix of communities - Kamloops, Squamish, Lion's Bay, Whistler, Port Alberni, Naramata, New Denver, and Coquitlam. It would be great if Rossland could eventually join this list. 

My family and I put out the larger size bag of garbage once every 10 weeks or longer - yes, really. I know we are part of many people in Rossland doing this. Sometimes it is a pain to manage properly, but we do it anyway, out of belief.

We do our outmost to keep our solid waste footprint as minimal as possible while putting wildlife and human safety first and foremost. We have never had a problem with bears or other wildlife - including rodents - in 17 years. There is no food or anything smelling like food (packaging) in the minimum amounts of garbage that we store over the weeks. All the packaging gets rinsed before going in the garbage bag or being recycled.

How fair would it be for all of those trying their hardest to do the right thing that we go to common bins - or any other system - were a flat fee is implemented regardless of waste volume? Those who waste will waste even more, some who try not to waste will begin wasting more, and those who don't care will recycle even less because they will not be paying more regardless of the amount of waste they put out every week. And, of course, it will be messy all around.

The common bins or whatever "communal" solution will become the new focal points for scavenging wildlife, because those who don't care right now will still not care later, and others will join them as they would now be able to anonymously dump their unchecked mess right by the containers, waste station, etc; it is human nature.

We have bylaws to make people "care", therefore let's just have the city truly enforce all bylaws relating to waste, and wildlife - among others. I understand we will have a bylaw enforcement officer within the next few weeks?

If after enforcement is implemented we still have non-anecdotal ocurrences of wildlife going into bins then we go into procuring wildlife-proof bins. As Aaron commented, some designs are flawed, and do not work. And yet... we live in the 21st century, surely there is somebody out there who can figure out a safe, practical, and economical waste container with a working locking mechanism?

Perhaps, a RFP, a design contest with a resident-and-city-staff-sourced task force to give direction and review a winning design/s would do?

Who gives communities the Bear Smart status? Surely they must have some knowledge and guidelines?

Is this what you were curious about Shelley: http://www.bearsmartbc.com/services/bear-smart-community-program/ ?