More bear-resistant trash carts coming to Asheville as black bears gear up for spring

With the arrival of spring comes the awakening of the city’s bears, many of which have spent the winter denning, in some cases under houses and porches around Asheville. It also means a comeback for a favorite warm weather pastime: cleaning up garbage strewn about by hungry black bears who have become adept at prying their way into trashcans, which often offer easy, calorie-dense food.

However, if you want to avoid this little Asheville luxury, there are proactive measures that residents can take to enhance safety and well-being for both people and wildlife, while promoting responsible waste management practices.

Additional Bear-Resistant Carts

Asheville’s sanitation department announced the addition of 340 bear-resistant trash carts to its program, doubling the amount initially budgeted for this fiscal year, bringing the 2024 total to 680 carts at a cost of approximately $220,000. There are 1,359 bear carts now in use. The program began in 2021. There are 449 people on the current waiting list.

The city is billing the new carts as a significant milestone in addressing economical bear-resistant solutions. In addition, the Ultimate Trash Locks have also been approved for use. They can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.

Bear-resistant carts are 95-gallons, the same as regular large green trash carts, and weigh 45 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than regular carts. There is a $10/month upcharge for use of a bear cart added to a resident’s regular solid waste fee, which is part of their water bill. Though some residents have had issues with bears outsmarting the cans, the city has said, generally they are a good preventative measure.

Getting a Bear-Resistant Cart

The distribution of new carts will prioritize individuals on the waiting list based on their length of wait, ensuring that those who have been waiting the longest receive the carts first. Residents on the waiting list will be contacted by sanitation staff over the next few months to confirm their address and ensure that they still want a bear cart. To get on the waiting list, visit the city website.

The Ultimate Trash Locks allow city residents to retrofit their existing trash carts to withstand encounters with black bears and other wildlife. Following testing at the WNC Nature Center, where food items such as mangos, apple and cherry pies, chocolate syrup and marshmallow cream were used to entice bears, Uno and Ursula, the locks demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing access to the contents of the trash cart. Straps must be unbuckled when carts are rolled to the curb on trash pickup days.

Bear Safety Tips

For general information about living responsibly and safely with bears, the city recommends “BearWise” practices and safety tips:

• Never feed or approach bears
• Secure food, garbage and recycling
• Remove bird feeders when bears are active
• Never leave pet food outdoors
• Clean grills and store them in a protected area
• Alert neighbors to bear activity

More:

• More bear-resistant trash cans on-the-way; 112 carts to shorten waiting list
• Got a black bear den under your Asheville home? NC Wildlife Commission: Tips on what to do