Wednesday, December 6, 2023 – Your help is needed to protect local wildlife! The Conservation Service is receiving an “overwhelming number of calls” regarding bears accessing garbage, recycling and compost in Sooke.
Bears are attracted by odour as they search for their next meal. You can minimize a bear’s access to your garbage, recycling and green bins by following some guidelines:
- Place bins at the roadside only on the morning they are collected – not the night before.
- Store your garbage, recycling and green bins in a closed, locked garage or shed, even if empty – bins will hold a residual smell.
- If a bin is stored outside, secure it to a post using a cable so that it can’t be dragged away.
- Minimize odours by freezing meat and other smelly food scraps, and put them in the compost on collection day.
- Keep bins clean – use a compostable bin liner or rinse your bins after each use.
The BC Wildlife Act requires residents to secure wildlife attractants, or face fines. Conservation Officers have the authority to issue “Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders” which include failure to move or remove food, food waste, compost or garbage that may attract bears.
To report a known or suspected violation of fisheries, wildlife, or environmental protection laws, use the RAPP form or call the 24/7 RAPP line at 1.877.952.7277.
Quick facts:
- Bears can smell garbage from a kilometer away.
- Securing our attractants is the best way to avoid habituating wildlife.
- Securing our garbage is an easy and necessary step to coexistence; habituation is an escalation in behavior, it does not happen overnight.
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