FWC and Waste Pro promote bear-proof garbage cans

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Waste Pro waste management company are hoping to reduce human-bear conflicts in northwest Florida by promoting bear-proof garbage cans.

This week representatives from FWC and Waste Pro met in Tallahassee to sign an agreement making it easier for residents to secure their trash from bears.

The partnership will help ensure that bear-resistant garbage containers are more widely available to residents and businesses in the more than 30 municipalities in northwest Florida served by Waste Pro, including Franklin County.

Bears are drawn to neighborhoods and towns by unsecured trash cans because garbage provides an easy meal.

The FWC said by properly securing trash, communities can reduce human-bear conflicts, including the risk of serious injuries to people. 

The hope is that if increasing the use of bear proof garbage cans works well in Northwest Florida that it will serve as an example for other areas of the state where black bears live.

If you are interested in bear-resistant equipment, contact your local Waste Pro office.

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