Toronto residents will soon be able to rest easy knowing their waste is safe from intruders. New green bins are coming to the city, and they’re specially designed to keep out raccoons.
These new bins will have a capacity of 100 litres, a big step up from the 46.5 litre bins currently in use. The older bins, introduced in 2002 over three years, are reaching the end of their expected 10-year lifespan.
There are 500,000 green bins around the city, and they have come under fire for the ease with which municipal critters can break into them.
Raccoon hands are strong and dexterous, but they can’t twist. The new bins feature a turning latch as well as a weighted bottom so the bins can’t be pushed over. They’ve been tested in Toronto backyards already, and not once during the testing period was a bin breached.
The $30 million contract for manufacturing the bins will go to the Los Angeles-based Rehrig Pacific Company, the same firm that produced the last set of bins.
The city of Toronto has provided a video demo of how the new bins work:
