Raccoons, beware.
When Toronto’s public works and infrastructure committee meets this Thursday, they will discuss buying new, “rodent resistant†green bins that are more than twice the size of the current ones.
According to a city staff report, the city’s current 46-litre green bins – used for household organic waste – are nearing the end of their 10-year lifespan. As a result, the city put out a request for proposal, and have since decided on a design by Los Angeles-based Rehrig Pacific Company.
The design features larger wheels “for easier mobility,†a 100-litre capacity and an external handle to allow users to open their bins with just one hand.
And perhaps most importantly, the new design will allegedly address one of the city’s most persistent problems: raccoons.
In the lead-up to the new design, city staff conducted a survey of 501 residents asking about their experience with green bins. According to the report, “respondents mentioned that rodent resistant is the most important feature of their green bins†– with 67 per cent calling it the most important feature. Only 15 per cent of respondents said they were “extremely satisfied†with the current design’s ability to stave off raccoons, with many complaining about their current bins getting knocked over by animals.
As a result, city staff consulted with animal behavioural specialists in choosing the next design, which features a “raccoon resistant†latch.
The new bins will cost the city approximately $31-million. If approved by council, households could begin seeing the new bins by late 2015 or early 2016.