City of Durango Wildlife Ordinance

On May 18, 2010, the Durango City Council passed, in a 4-1 vote, a city wildlife ordinance meant to reduce the availability of trash to bears and other wildlife. The ordinance went into effect in late May.

In a nutshell, if wildlife is not getting into your trash, nothing is required of you. However, in the event that your trash gets strewn, you will be required to store your trash in a secure location or 2) obtain a wildlife-resistant or wildlife-proof trash container, and 3) abide by hours of container placement rules.

The ordinance is complaint-driven. Bear Smart Durango encourages residents to report any bear-strewn trash immediately to City Code Enforcement at 375-4930.

The feeding of wildlife is also addressed in the ordinance. You can download a copy of the ordinance here.

Chama NM bear

Neat bear sculpture in downtown Chama, NM. June 2010. (Click on photo for a larger view).

bear-proofing photo examples

Examples of wildlife-resistant and wildlife-proof trash containers available in our area. (Click on photos for a larger view).

Below are examples of wildlife-resistant trash containers, manufactured by BearSaver, available for city residents at $4 a month. To order, call the City of Durango Department of Sustainable Services at 375-5004.

Example of wildlife-resistant trash containers available for for county residents via Waste Management and WCA Transit Waste. (WM shown here).

One size of wildlife-proof dumpsters available from WCA Transit Waste. Phone: 247-0646

A couple examples of wildlife-proof dumpsters available from Waste Management. Phone: 247-1821

Dumpsters available from the City of Durango Department of Sustainable Services. Phone: 375-5004.