Bears Impact Farmington Trash Pickups: Town

Town of Farmington

FARMINGTON, CT — One of the best ways to have bears menace your property is to not properly handly your trash and recycling.

To help combat that problem, Farmington town officials recently unveiled a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to our waste.

"In New England, the bears and other wild animals are something that we all have to deal with on a daily basis, however, we cannot work around their schedule for trash and recycling pickups," wrote the town in an announcement.

Local officials said the trash and recycling trucks start as early as 5 a.m., so carts must be at the curbside prior to 5 a.m. (or the night before your normal pickup day) or you run the risk of missing your pickup and will have to wait until your next scheduled pickup day.

Bears or no bears, the town urged trash customers to do the following:

• Always bag trash to keep trash cart clean and allow trash to flow out freely. Break down larger items so they don't get hung up in the trash cart.

• Wash/clean regularly with ammonia or disinfectant cleaner to deter animals. Febreze or Airwicks stick-ups can also be placed under the lid to help deter animals.

• Carts should be placed within 6 feet of curb, 4 feet away from other objects, and with the front of the cart facing the street. Do not place carts in the roadway.

• No grass clippings, branches, or lawn debris.

• Do not overstuff carts - lids must be closed. Please cut recyclable boxes to fit into the recycling cart allowing lid to close.

• No grass clippings, branches, or lawn debris.

• No bulk items, construction debris, hazardous items, or flammable materials in cart.

For the official announcement, click on this link.