Wildsafe issuing warnings for garbage left out night before pickup

Wildsafe BC is once again asking people to not put their garbage out until the morning of pickup, and they’ll be out patrolling at night leaving warning stickers on curbside cans.

Fraser Valley coordinator Rebecca McMurray says bears can easily get habituated to an easy food source.

“I’ve heard that bears will actually learn what day garbage day is, and they’ll plan their visits in to neighborhoods for the days that garbage is going to be set out the night before. They also have a really good sense of smell so if there’s warm garbage sitting outside the night before pickup they can smell that from over a kilometer away.”

McMurray says most Fraser Valley municipalities, with the exception of Chilliwack, have a bylaw against putting out garbage early.

She says the heat has kept bears in the cool forest areas for the most part this summer, but because the berry crops came early that food source may dry up sooner, forcing bears to check out residential areas for food.