RE: Pilot Program to Test Bear-Safe Food Waste Bins (ATTACHMENT 2)

RE: Pilot Program to Test Bear-Safe Food Waste Bins

The Town of View Royal invites you to partake in its "Bear-Safe Food Waste Bin" pilot program. Council has approved this pilot to occur within the Riverside Community to assess the performance of these bins in mitigating wildlife attractants to bears and other small animals.

As this is currently a pilot, quantities are limited based on the approved program budget. Currently, 28 Food Waste bins will be available to residents for this pilot. This means that this pilot program can serve 28 homes with a selection process described below.

Costs & Bin Type

The bear-safe bin is available for purchase by the property owner at a discounted cost of $170.00. This is conditional upon the existing food waste bin being returned to the Town, cleaned of debris.

These bear-safe bins may be different from your existing garbage bin, so please be aware that the dimensions may not match that of your garbage bin, and the bin will not be hot stamped with the View Royal logo. These bins have passed the North American Bear Resistant Products Testing Program, and work by latching / unlatching the lid. A photo of the general bin is found on the ensuing attachment (but in the colour green, and with latches).

Selection Process

Please refer to the map on the ensuing attachment. Residences located in the area marked red will have priority for the bins on a first come, first served basis (priority due to direct proximity to the woodland area). If at the time of the submission deadline there are still bear safe bins available, then the residences located in the yellow area will be selected next while quantities last.

If you are interested to participate in this pilot program, please send your request with your name, address, and contact information to engineering@viewroyal.ca with the subject line "Request for Bear Safe Bin" or call 250-708-2258 on or before Wednesday, June 12^th, 2024.

General conditions to agree to the Pilot Program, as well as example of bear-safe best practices are found on the back of this page. Please stay tuned for more information!

Sincerely,

Engineering Clerk Town of View Royal

Pilot Program General Conditions

To be considered for this pilot program, selected participants will be required to agree to general conditions that include but is not limited to:

• All bylaw requirements pertaining to garbage and food waste collection apply, including the Collection and Disposal of Residential Garbage and Household Food Waste Bylaw No.745.
• This is a one-time purchase. As there will be no spare quantities available, any replacement bins will be reverted to the regular food waste bins unless the pilot program is extended.
• The resident is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the bins, including the latches. The Town does not have the resources to fix broken latches at this time but will endeavor to find a solution with its collection contractor if available.
• The resident shall unlatch the bin on the morning of pickup day. The Town is not responsible for missed pickup if the bin is left latched.

Note: Tenants will require to make a request to the property owner to apply to participate into this pilot program.

How can I foster additional bear-safe principles, regardless of whether I have a bear-safe food waste bin or not?

You can still make a difference without acquiring a bear-safe bin. These bins are not 100% bear-proof and in fact adopting easy storage related strategies can provide the best defence against attracting wildlife in the View Royal area. Here are some additional tips:

• Store recycling and garbage in bin in an enclosed structure (e.g. garage or shed) until the morning of your collection day. Avoid putting bins out for collection the night before.
• If you do not have a shed or garage, leave clean bins outside and store smelly food waste in your freezer until collection day.
• Avoid feeding birds when bears are most active (approximately April to November). Feed pets indoors or bring in food bowls immediately after use.
• Keep your barbeque clean and free from odours. Burn off the grill after use and clean up grease traps.

And remember, "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear". If attractants are not properly managed or if bears have actively been fed, a minimum $230 fine could be levied under the BC Wildlife Act. Please call BC Conservation Officers via the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.

More information on bear-safe principles can be found at www.wildsafebc.com

Bear Safe Garbage and Food Waste Bin Pilot - Map

Legend

• Primary Priority Area (Red)
• Secondary Priority Area (Yellow) (While Quantities Last)

Bear Safe Bin will Include:

• latches
• colour green
• Approx Dimensions:
  • 1060mm Hgt.
  • 480mm Wdth.
  • 550mm Dpth.

Notes Red = Primary Priority Area Yellow = Secondary Priority Area (bins provided if there are extra quantities left)

Important: This map is for general information purposes only. The Capital Regional District (CRD) makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of this map or the suitability of the map for any purpose. This map is not for navigation. The CRD will not be liable for any damage, loss or injury resulting from the use of the map or information on the map and the map may be changed by the CRD at any time.