Lake County, Florida, starts bear-resistant cart program

Lake County, Florida, began rolling out its bear-resistant garbage cart program Oct. 5, with approximately 840 specialized carts available for county residents living in areas with the most reported human-bear interactions.

“The distribution of carts is timely, as bears are most active during the fall months,” Mary Hamilton, environmental services manager, says. “While these carts will be very helpful to those living in areas with large populations of Florida black bears, such as Astor and Royal Trails, it is still important for all residents to be bear wise and practice the safe disposal of trash.”

The carts, purchased through a $200,000 Florida Fish & Wildlife (FWC) grant, are available at a discounted price of $40 and can be purchased on a first come, first served basis for affected residents. Solid Waste staff will deliver the new cart in exchange for the resident’s existing county trash cart. Residents must call Lake County Solid Waste to request a bear-resistant trash cart.

Residents should be aware of their surroundings to avoid potential conflicts with bears and follow Lake County’s ordinance that requires trash to be kept secure, county officials say. To keep bears away from homes, FWC says residents should:

• secure household garbage in a sturdy shed, garage or a bear-resistant container;
• put household garbage out on the morning of pickup rather than the night before;
• protect gardens, beehives, compost and livestock with electric fencing;
• encourage homeowners associations or local governments to institute ordinances on keeping foods that attract wildlife secure;
• feed pets indoors or bring in dishes after feeding outdoors;
• clean grills and store them in a secure place;
• remove wildlife feeders or make them bear resistant; and
• pick ripe fruit from trees and remove fallen fruit from the ground.