Be bear smart

Be bear smart

Wildlife affected areas

Due to concerning bear activity, Discovery Ridge has now been temporarily designated as a “wildlife affected area” in accordance with the Waste Bylaw 4M2020. Residents in the designated area have specific requirements for residential waste storage and set out for collection.

  • To prevent bears and wildlife from accessing waste and potentially becoming food-habituated, Calgarians in “wildlife affected” areas must store waste in a garage, shed or other secure enclosure. This applies to all carts and extra bags of yard waste or tag-a-bag garbage.
  • Calgarians in these areas are required to limit overnight set-out of residential waste for collection. Waste can be set out no earlier than 5:00 am on the day of collection, and empty carts must be returned to their secure storage enclosure no later than 7:00 pm on the day of collection.
  • Based on our research of other municipalities, overnight set-out of waste is the most significant attractant of bears and other wildlife.

For details, please go to The City of Calgary: City Council Agenda & Minutes and search for 4M2020.

This is part of a comprehensive approach that starts with awareness and education to keep citizens and wildlife safe.

Don’t invite bears over for a midnight snack.

Bears and other wildlife will come into our communities looking for easy sources of food. Residential collection carts, fruit trees, bird feeders and other human-related food sources are strong attractants. Once a bear receives a food reward it can lose its natural wariness of humans. Food-conditioned bears can pose a serious safety risk in communities and may need to be trapped and relocated or even euthanized.

Prevent this from happening by securing all food attractants and by managing your waste properly.

Here are some things you can do:

Do

  • Set your carts out no earlier than 5 a.m. and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day.
  • Put away your carts after collection, no later than 7 p.m.
  • Freeze food waste prior to putting it out in the green cart on your collection day. 
  • Clean the carts periodically to reduce odours.
  • Store your carts inside a garage or other secure enclosure.

Note: Secure storage options are available offering an alternative to limited garage space. These enclosures can be purchased or built. An example of such is found here: https://haulall.com/hid-a-cart/

Don't

  • Don't put your carts out overnight.
  • We kindly ask our residents to work with their neighbors if their schedule doesn't allow them to put out their carts between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on their collection day.
  • Let's all do our part to keep our community safe and avoid attracting bears and other wildlife.

 

 

 

garbage

Store your carts inside an enclosure like a shed or garage to prevent animals from getting into your bins

It's important to remember that overnight cart set out has been identified as a significant attractant of bears and other wildlife. That's why we recommend only putting out your carts the morning of collection, this is standard practice in many municipalities that have a history of bear-human conflicts.

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