While it may be exciting to have a bear wander into the yard, bears that become accustomed to accessing human food sources may pose a safety risk to children, pets, and livestock, which means they may need to be destroyed. Often, it’s the bear that ends up paying the price for garbage left out. 

The CVRD amended Curbside Collection Bylaw 1958 in 2019 to help reduce curbside-related human/wildlife conflicts in the Cowichan Valley. This bylaw places limits on what belongs in the garbage while setting clear expectations for how curbside collection totes should be stored.

A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear

Do your part to ensure that your curbside material does not become a wildlife attractant:

1. Store waste in a wildlife-resistant manner on your property between collection days (examples below)
2. Put totes out after 5:00 am on your curbside collection day (totes left out overnight may be subject to up to a $230 fine)
3. Manage wildlife attractants (e.g. no grease, liquids, or wet garbage)
4. Take excess waste to a nearby Recycling Centre

Tips for Wildlife-resistant Waste Storage

• Store curbside collection totes in an enclosed structure (e.g. garage or shed) until the morning of your scheduled pickup day.
• If you do not have a shed or garage, leave clean totes outside and freeze food waste until collection day.

Please note that a bear-resistant tote is not 100% bear-proof as seen in the video below. The only way to ensure that your garbage is secure is to place it in a structure so that the tote cannot be dragged away and opened.