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.

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.