Dive Brief:
- Florida's "BearWise" program has $515,000 this year to match with local funding to aid the purchase and modification of bear-resistant trash cans and dumpsters, as reported by Orlando Weekly.
- Last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had $825,000 to allocate throughout the state. A bear hunt in 2015 that generated around $375,000 in permit sales was put toward that fund, yet officials had since decided against bear hunts in 2016 and 2017.
- FWC will prioritize funding for local governments that have ordinances requiring residents and businesses to keep waste bear-secure, according to a press release. Applications, available online, must be submitted by mid-October.
Dive Insight:
In Florida, less state money to go around means that local governments not selected for matched funds will have to get creative — or perhaps punitive. Seminole County, FL, was the first in Florida to enact a daily fine on residents that don't secure their garbage from bears. Governments could also try education programs on voluntary actions residents could take, like leaving garbage inside until collection day.
Bears are a sort of plague to the waste industry in Florida, and government agencies have previously tried to require bear-resistant bins statewide. In addition to matching funds, the FWC has made private-sector partnerships to help make bear-resistant equipment cheaper for customers. Bear-proofing could, however, be a waiting game. As bin producers continually make improvements in bin design and technology, durable — and locking — bins could become the norm. Though durable and heavier bins that need to be unlocked could mean that waste collection trucks and processes will need to be modified to handle the extra weight and unlocking obstacles.
Bears getting into garbage cans has been a problem in Colorado, Nevada and Alaska, too. Boulder, CO, has a zero-tolerance policy, for which residents have been fined for not purchasing bear-resistant bins. Between bears' widespread habitat and recent population rebound, companies and governments are going to have to spend more time thinking and planning how to deal with the trash-loving creatures.