MISSOULA — The Missoula City Council voted in favor of the ordinance expanding the areas in Missoula that would require bear-resistant trash bins on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.
This is the first time the regulations for bear buffer zones have been updated since 1996 and the changes were made with the safety of bears and residents in mind.
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The new regulations aim to limit the interactions humans and bears may have with each other in neighborhoods and to keep bears safe from consuming any materials that may be harmful to them.
There will be no tax increase with the new ordinance because Missoula’s waste is handled by private services.
Residents within the new zones will have to pay for the bear-resistant trash bins.
The areas required to have bear-resistant bins will expand over the next few years under the new ordinance.
The 11 members of the Missoula City Council who were present for Monday evening's meeting voted in favor of the new rules.
