Solid Waste

Garbage & Recycling

Be Bear Aware

Bears are eating machines and will eat anything they can find, especially during the fall as they prepare to den for the winter. The recent death of a young black bear in downtown Kamloops is an example of what can happen when a bear goes looking for food in the "wrong" places. There is no need for any bear to be shot in Kamloops.

Fruit and garbage provide the calories that a bear needs, but it also brings bears close to people. Bears that forage on easily accessible fruit are drawn close to neighbourhoods and to other sources of food such as compost, bird feeders, and barbeques. Bears may break into sheds or homes to find what they can smell from a distance.

Bears quickly become habituated to these foods and spend more time in the city near homes and businesses. Habituated bears are perceived as a safety risk and are shot. We can prevent this safety risk and the needless deaths of bears by removing and managing attractants.

Management checklist

If you have fruit trees on your property, prune and take care of the trees. Pick fruit as it ripens and any fallen fruit. If you won't use the fruit, contact the Kamloops Food Bank Fruit Gleaning Coordinator. Remove any fruit trees that are not productive or tended and replace them with non-fruit bearing trees.

Rinse your recycling to minimize food odours.

Clean BBQ grills and grease traps after each use.

Bring your pet food indoors after feeding your pets.

Take down any bird feeders between April and November and consider a bird bath as an alternative.

Always turn compost regularly and use lime to reduce odours.

Store your garbage in a secure area and freeze any odorous waste until the morning of pick up.

Bear Bylaw
The Bear Bylaw is in effect from April 1st until November 30th. During that time residents are reminded not to put garbage on the curb before 4 am on collection day and to not accumulate or improperly store bear attractants. Violators are subject to a $100 fine.

We live in bear country and we should learn to expect to deal with bears in Kamloops - no matter what part of the city you live in.

For more information call the Bear Aware Program Delivery Specialist at 250-828-3379 or email at bearaware@kamloops.ca. You can also visit the Bear Aware website at www.bearaware.bc.ca.

Logo Contact
Public Works and Utilities
955 Concordia Way
Kamloops BC V2C 6V3
ph (250) 828 3461
fax (250) 828-3790
email publicworks@kamloops.ca

Note: All correspondence is entered into our system, and will be dealt with in due process. Please allow several working days for a response. Thank you.