MISSOULA — Missoula residents who live in the Grant Creek and Rattlesnake areas will soon be required to store their garbage in bear-resistant containers or enclosures.
Missoula Public Health reports Grizzly Disposal and Republic Services customers will automatically have their containers replaced with bear-resistant ones before or shortly after April 30.
The new rules are going into effect beginning on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Residents who don’t lease containers with these haulers should call whichever garbage service they use to either lease a container or see which bear-resistant container they should buy that is compatible with that service’s trucks.
Containers can be put out for collection the night before trash pickup and must be fully closed with the lid latched so no trash is overflowing.
Containers must be brought back from the road within eight hours of collection unless the containers are kept in an alley.
Residents who haul their own trash will need to purchase a bear-resistant container certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee or approved by a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management team biologist.
A full list of approved containers is online At https://igbconline.org/programs/bear-resistant-products/.
County officials are also reminding residents who haul their own trash that it must be taken to the landfill at least once every seven days.
The requirements for bear-resistant containers in these areas is part of the Phase 1 rollout for the expanded Bear Buffer Zone, which Missoula County and the City of Missoula adopted last fall.
The expanded zone and updated rules aim to reduce bear-human conflicts, 49% of which in the Missoula Valley are attributed to unsecured garbage, according to a news release.
More information about the expanded Bear Buffer Zone and associated rules is online at https://missoulacountyvoice.com/bear-smart-missoula.
Residents can see if their home is in the Bear Buffer Zone by visiting https://gis.missoulacounty.us/propertyinformation/, entering their address, and then clicking the “Facts” button on the right side of the page.
Property managers should share this information with tenants in the buffer zone.
Visit https://missoulabears.org/ for more information on bears in the Missoula Valley or to report bear sightings.
