In partnership with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and Waste Management, the City of Leavenworth is promoting BearWise® strategies.
Leavenworth is located in prime black bear habitat. People are often unaware that black bears live in this area and can inadvertently attract bears to homes, businesses, and the community by failing to effectively secure food, garbage, and/or food waste.
Becoming BearWise will help our community avoid attracting bears, prevent negative human-black bear interactions, and help keep Leavenworth bears wild.
Currently, there is not a bear-resistant, 300-gallon container option available to meet the City’s commercial garbage service needs. We are actively collaborating with local agencies and potential vendors to explore viable solutions, and it is our understanding that a product may be available later this year.
In the meantime, the City is permitting commercial accounts to modify their existing city-owned, 300-gallon totes to meet WDFW’s “secured” requirement. Here are examples of modified, and secured, 300-gallon containers. Please note that all trash containers must be unlocked/unlatched by the business owner and available for city service by 5 a.m. on pickup day(s).
Resources
City of Leavenworth Service Guide
Garbage Collection Information
Curbside Recycling Information
Bear-resistant containers available. For pricing, order form and
additional information visit
wmnorthwest.com/leavenworth.
If there is a black bear sighting or other concerning wildlife, or to report anyone intentionally or unintentionally feeding bears, please call WDFW’s WILDCOMM Dispatch at 360-902-2936 Option 1.
If you have questions about living with black bears or becoming more BearWise®, please visit wdfw.wa.gov/blackbears or bearwise.org.
