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Raccoon-proof Green Bins: Fact or Fiction?

Posted by Debbie Ohi / June 27, 2007

30 Comments

20070627_raccoon-greenbin2.jpg
So yesterday morning I woke to discover that the raccoons in our neighbourhood somehow managed to pry our green bin open and drag damp and smelly garbage across our backyard during the night. And they somehow managed to do this while leaving the bungee cords intact.

This is not the first time. I've even caught raccoons in the act before, but they just stare up at me with bored disinterest as if to say, "Yeah so? What are ya gonna do about it?" I've heard stories from friends about the elaborate measures they go to: complicated bungee cord configurations, using bright lights, nailing their green bins to their houses, offering small pets as sacrifice, etc.

This time, however, I've vowed to find a surefire way to thwart those furry demons.

20070627_raccoonillus.jpg

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to investigate whether or not there really such a thing as a raccoon-proof green bin [update: I corrected this from "squirrel-proof" -- I've been having squirrel problems as well, but I'll save that for another post!] as well as tips and advice on how to keep your garbage raccoon-free.

I welcome your feedback. Please (please!) post your suggestions below. Have you ever had raccoons get into your garbage? How did you deal with it? If you have a set-up that seems to work, please let me know. I'll be posting a follow-up next month.

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Jerrold / June 27, 2007 at 08:20 am
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This morning our curbside was a disaster. Those raccoons are relentless, ingenius, dirty rats!
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Gloria / June 27, 2007 at 08:41 am
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That is an adorable drawing.

We keep our garbage bins inside a stout shack ... it's not pretty, but no overspilled bins in a long time.
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scott / June 27, 2007 at 08:44 am
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there are two hooks that hang our greenbin off of the back wall of the house and the coons don't get in. it's a different story when the bin hits the curb the night before and they get in and throw crap all over the sidewalk. that's the part i haven't figured out.
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Katie / June 27, 2007 at 08:47 am
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We got a buckle clip thing (you know those hard plastic clips that are used on backpacks, car seats, etc) from Home Hardware that we screwed onto our green bin - one part on the lid, one part on the base. We keep it clipped together until moments before the garbage truck pulls up. It works like a charm.
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Matt / June 27, 2007 at 09:15 am
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As long as ours are securely locked (with the clamp provided), the racoons knock 'em over but don't get in. If they AREN'T securely locked, on the other hand, all hell breaks loose. You ever had to pick up the remains of a chicken on the hottest day in June? Boy that's fun.
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Arieh Singer / June 27, 2007 at 09:19 am
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When we put out the garbage it is usually the day of, when we get ready for the work. Otherwise, if we put it out the night before we put a heavy recycling bin on top of it - usually the paper - making the bin hard to fall over. Since we did that I have yet to see the bin spill.
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Tony / June 27, 2007 at 09:40 am
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the little buggers used to get into my garbarge containers with regularity before the days of the green bin, but i seem to have received an industrial strength green bin. the locking mechanism is extremely difficult to pry open (i usually have to pound on it with the ball of my hand to lock it) - they've knocked it over once or twice, but have never managed to get into it. for now, i am the victor!
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Lissa Allcock / June 27, 2007 at 09:44 am
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You have squirrels on the brain. Or are your squirrels also raiding your green bin? Enquiring minds want to know!!
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Caroline / June 27, 2007 at 09:50 am
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I remember living just outside the Rouge Valley and always catching the racoons in the act. They would scuttle off with a tap from a broom end, making irritated noises. So frustrating (for both of us I am sure)! I tried putting the bins under a motion sensor light that was halfway down the wall, and very bright. No luck. I tried pie plates tied to the bungees that made lots of scary noise when tipped over. Nope... Bungee cords were wasted time... The little varmints could undo them as easily as I could.

The only thing that worked was an external shed/bin to house all the garbage in, that had a good sturdy lock. a flipcatch was no grand feat.

We had genius racoons there, I think.

Now that I am in the country near Ottawa, I thought myself inmmune to raccoons. But in the past two years, they have migrated out to us, and we now find ourselves in the same dilemma. The recycling comes at 5:30 AM, the garbage not long after, so we have to put it out the night before.

I'm tempted to wait up at night and begin broom herding again....
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Liz Jones / June 27, 2007 at 09:57 am
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We keep ours in the basement, and put it out on garbage day. Between possums, dogs, coyotes, raccoons and bears, we figure it's a lost cause. At the state parks in WVA, they've solved the problem by putting the garbage cans in a chain-link cage on a concrete pad. I think that's worked pretty well...
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Ryan C / June 27, 2007 at 10:06 am
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I've found that harpoons work really well.
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Debbie / June 27, 2007 at 10:08 am
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Lissa, thanks for pointing out my squirrel/raccoon switch. Yes, I have squirrels on the brain! Who wouldn't, after their abuse of my hapless seedlings? :-D
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Graham / June 27, 2007 at 10:10 am
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Like Scott, we hang our green bin on the wall outside our back door. The racoons still get in to dine on our food waste, after they dig through all the kitty litter, but they don't get knocked over making a mess.

There might be some spillage once in awhile, or you might open the lid to find one feasting but otherwise it works great.

On a side note, to reduce plastic bags in our green bins we use brown paper lunch bags or any small paper bag to put the clumped and poopey kitty litter in, they work great and IMO are better for the environment than using plastic bags.
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Dini / June 27, 2007 at 10:23 am
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Ha! I'm amazed you've been unscathed so long. My "raccoon proof" green bin lasted about 5 hours from issue. They were in the first night. Squirrels soon followed. I try to hold my composting materials inside as long as I can, but ick!
My neighbors wedge their bin under deck stairs so tightly that they have trouble getting it out. But the raccoons have no problem.
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Gary McGath / June 27, 2007 at 10:32 am
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Today I came across this blog item about raccoons openly stealing cat food that was left out for stray cats:

http://involuntaryslacker.blogspot.com/2007/06/urban-pets-coon-contingent.html
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John Chew / June 27, 2007 at 01:53 pm
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I find it helpful to my morale to think of the process in terms not of keeping raccoons out of the garbage, but rather breeding smarter raccoons for our squirrel overlords. That said, if you have to keep your green bins in an insecure location (raccoons can learn how to operate garage door openers, beware), you need to do two things. First, you need to keep the bins upright, because if they can be knocked over, a mature raccoon can jump up and down on it until the plastic breaks. We use a series of bungee cords for this, replacing them as the raccoons and squirrels gnaw through them. Second, you need to keep the lid shut. The clip straps are great for this; we haven't had any raccoon feedings since we installed them half a year ago.
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Mark Dowling / June 27, 2007 at 02:32 pm
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Bungee cord wrapped from under the lid to the little notch at the base of the back of the bin has worked for us in the past.
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Andrea / June 27, 2007 at 02:38 pm
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He/she/it (referred to as "it" hereafter) looks so cute staring up at you. It's giving you the "I'm cute and innocent, come closer" look even though you know that it's a furry demon. Hrm, kind of like some guys that I've dated.
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Sheryl / June 27, 2007 at 03:08 pm
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Dog crap.

We used to have a raccoon party in our yard every night but they never touched the green bin, even when the lid wasn't secured. The reason - we disposed of our dog's crap in the bin as well (as is permitted under city by-laws) and the "Rakkins" ('cause you've got to throw in a Trailer Park Boys reference every now and then) wouldn't go near the thing.

Get a dog, borrow a dog, or leave the green bin at the curb an extra day, inviting local dog walkers to dispose of their stuff in your bin.
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Jerrold / June 27, 2007 at 03:23 pm
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Raccoons are NOT cute! They're giant filthy rats! :P
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roger / June 27, 2007 at 04:06 pm
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I wonder what the city of Toronto suggests we do. They came up with the design. It's a pity they didn't test it first with our rascally raccoons.

Last summer I caught a litter of baby raccoons stuck in a garbage bin:
http://flickr.com/photos/wordfreak/sets/72157594293893671/
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Debbie / June 27, 2007 at 04:26 pm
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Roger, those pics are ADORABLE. I still curse the raccoons for making my morning so smelly, but those baby raccoons are darned cute.
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Steve M / June 27, 2007 at 09:08 pm
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Dog poop is a very good repellent but it doesn't always work.

I used to bungee my bin to the railing at our back door and then just use the clasp to keep the lid sealed. As long as they couldn't knock over the bin, they couldn't pop the clasp.

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anastassia / June 27, 2007 at 11:24 pm
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they go as far as open my garage... seen tehm do it in groups of 6 or more. Crazy animals, try putting moth balls in your garbage.
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rocco / June 28, 2007 at 09:00 am
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i love raccoons, but i can't finish a whole one
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bob / June 28, 2007 at 03:15 pm
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I ended up getting one of these:

<a href="http://www.binsolutions.ca/";>http://www.binsolutions.ca/<;/a>
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Jeremy / June 29, 2007 at 04:09 pm
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I'm currently using bungees, and it's working great. The secret is in how you hook them up. :) I take a single stout one, about 4' in length. Fold it in half and insert the loop through the handle. Put both ends through the loop, and wrap around under the lip to connect to the latch at the front. Hasn't been defeated yet (fingers crossed).

Now if I can just get the garbage guys not to show up when I'm in the shower...
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Jesse / July 12, 2007 at 04:02 pm
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Hi there, my company recently designed a lid-locking system for the green bin. Not one of our customers have complained of raccoons getting into their green bin after we installed our system. It&#39;s $20! See our website!<div><br /></div><div>www.rockyraccoonproofing.com?</div>
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DDubs / July 26, 2007 at 11:09 pm
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<p>Thank you thank you Bob for this posting.&nbsp; After first reading about it in your comment from June 28, I also bought a cedar Binsolutions bin!&nbsp; Two actually.&nbsp; They&#39;re exactly what I was searching for.&nbsp; My garbage and green bin fit in one, and 4 recycling containers fit in the other.&nbsp; They&#39;re beautiful and I don&#39;t have to look at unsightly garbage at the side of my house anymore.&nbsp; And, NO RACCOONS!&nbsp; Don&#39;t even have to latch the green bin closed, or even touch the lid until garbage day (green bin lid opens automatically when you open the bin&#39;s lid).&nbsp;&nbsp; So happy.&nbsp; www.binsolutions.ca</p>
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ES / September 10, 2007 at 12:01 pm
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Ok, I know this is not EXACTLY the blog I should be posting this on, but I don't think the one I need actually exists.... Has anyone experience PEOPLE stealing garbage out of the green bin? Happened to me last night - found the green bin open, with three big, filthy, nasty bags of garbage missing and no mess anywhere to be found. Green bin is in the back yard, and suspended on two hooks in the back wall... Scary, no?
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