Wildlife and garbage are synonymous in urban environments. Whether it is raccoons rafting through the rubbish or mice munching on the compost – waste created in our everyday lives plays a significant role in supporting wildlife populations in our neighbourhoods.
Ripped garbage bags with trash strewn across sidewalks is a frustrating ordeal to deal with that not only leaves the owner to clean up the mess but also poses a risk due to unsanitary conditions and possible disease exposure. While damage to containers resulting from gnawing or clawing by animals trying to gain access to the contents inside, and the inevitable rodent population explosion from open-air compost heaps and their subsequent activity can take its physical and psychological toll on those directly affected by the animals.
This interaction can result in human-wildlife conflict, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Living alongside wildlife can bring a multitude of benefits – both psychological and economic. People have been recorded to be happier, more at peace and connected to nature through daily interaction with wildlife in their city environments, children’s developmental capacity have been found to be optimized when exposed to nature at a young age in their everyday lives; and property values are higher in areas adjacent to green belts and nature zones.
Nonetheless the distress that results from animals scratching around in your trash is very real and frustrating, but thankfully it is preventative and avoidable.
Here are a few tips to keep the critters away:
• Weighted garbage bin lids or locked access to prevent easy entry.
• Secure your trash can in your yard or behind closed doors.
• Recycle as much as possible, as often as possible. This will not only prevent garbage from accumulating which provides cozy homes and abundant food resources for wildlife; but it also saves the planet.
• Reduce food attractants by cleaning food packaging prior to disposal/recycling; and recycling your organics with a specialist company who keep organics in sealable containers instead of creating an open-air compost heap which will attract a range of feeding wildlife regularly and provide warm and safe areas for critters to breed.
• Contact a professional pest and wildlife control company who addresses the entire problem to successfully manage and control persistent animals.
By following a few easy actions to limit the opportunity of wildlife trifling through your trash; you will reduce potential conflict with the wildlife with whom we share our streets; and perhaps, who knows, may even start to look forward to their frolics.
Do you need wildlife control or removal services?
Contact Humane Solutions – a local innovative pest & wildlife control company operating throughout the Lower Mainland, BC. They solve your problem permanently, save you money and use eco & animal-friendly methods you can be proud of!