Hefty Fines For Boulder Residents Who Don't Use Bear-Proof Trash Cans
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- Boulder residents living on the west side of town are facing steep fines if they don't bear proof their garbage.
Beginning Wednesday, June 15, trash cans that aren't bear resistant could result in $250 to $1,000 fines. It's $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third.
The City of Boulder adopted Ordinance No. 7962 , which is intended to protect bears by reducing their ability to find food within the city. The ordinance requires all trash and compost to be secured from bears. It's a program being phased in. This phase impacts residents living west of Broadway and south of Sumac Avenue.
Resident Bill Leblanc says it's perfectly reasonable to require people to use these bear-proof cans and to fine them if they don't.
"I was loading my car and a bear ran down this sidewalk and my neighbor said he's had visits twice this week," said Leblanc.
Another Boulder resident, Kirstin Gillespie, takes keeping her garbage away from bears very seriously. She stores her bear proof cans in a gated shed.
"We saw a bear two weeks ago back in the driveway," said Gillespie.
Vi Beeby isn't about to buy a special bear proof trash bin and says she'll fight it if she's fined, "There has never been a bear on this street for 40 years."
The approved bear bins come with a metal latch that, in theory, the animals can't open. Boulder says the ordinance is designed to protect both the residents and the bears who like to eat their leftovers. City crews will patrol the streets to make sure residents are in compliance.
Suzanne McCarroll is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. Her stories can regularly be seen on CBS4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @SuzanneCBS4.
