Residents of Summerland are being reminded to wait before putting out their garbage, yard waste and recycling containers for collection.
In his report at the May 6 council meeting, Graham Statt, chief administrative officer for Summerland, urged residents to keep their garbage and other bins in a secure location and not place them at the curb before 5 a.m. on their scheduled collection day.
Summerland has a collection of yard waste and food waste each week, with garbage and yard waste picked up every two weeks.
While numerous messages have been issued in the past about the dangers of setting out garbage too early, Statt said all bins for collection should be kept away until collection day.
“It might seem like it’s less risky to put out the green and blue bins the night before, however, there are many attractants in those bins as well, so they are subject to the same rules,” he said.
“A fed bear is a dead bear as once they are habituated to humans, they can become a nuisance and threat to human safety.”
If bears are trapped and released elsewhere, the bear can be in danger, Statt said. Bears are naturally territorial and can attack a newly introduced bear.
“Summerland is situated near wildland areas which gives us incredible vistas and recreational opportunities, but this also means we have to maintain a high level of stewardship since we are so close to these wild natural places,” he said.
