Most Durango households bear-proof their trash one of two ways. They lock the can in a garage or shed until pickup morning. Or they use a container built to keep bears out. The City of Durango leases wildlife-resistant cans to city residents for $4.35 a month. Outside city limits, you ask your trash hauler. This page is the how-to. For the penalty ladder and the bigger picture, see our guide to living with bears in Durango.
What are the ways to bear-proof trash in Durango?
You have five options, and they stack (Bear Smart Durango):
- Store the can in a garage, shed or other enclosed structure, and put it out only on pickup morning
- Use a wildlife-resistant can. The city leases them in city limits, and local haulers offer them to county customers
- Put ordinary cans in a bear-resistant enclosure made of metal, concrete or wood that bears cannot bite or claw through
- Use temporary storage if you have no trash service, like a locked metal toolbox, a trailer or a steel drum with a lid
- Buy a container certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which tests products with captive grizzlies near Yellowstone
How do I get a city wildlife-resistant container?
Call Trash & Recycling at 970-375-5004 (City of Durango). The city offers medium and large wildlife-resistant residential containers for a small additional monthly fee (City of Durango). The city's price list shows 60-gallon and 90-gallon wildlife-resistant containers. If your container is damaged, call the same number.
What does a city bear container cost?
The rental fee is $4.35 per month for 4.5 years, and the container stays city property (City of Durango). That adds up to about $235 over the term. A one-time $100 delivery fee applies if the container arrives after a Code Enforcement citation for scattered trash. These replacement prices apply to a lost or stolen container when you have no police report case number:
| Item | Replacement price |
|---|---|
| 60-gallon wildlife-resistant container | $310.00 |
| 90-gallon wildlife-resistant container | $324.00 |
| Wildlife-resistant lid | $185.00 |
For a lost or stolen container, file a police report at 970-385-2900. Give the case number when you ask for a new one.
Do I have to use a wildlife-resistant container?
Sometimes. Under city Ordinance O-2018-6, every home in the city's priority wildlife areas must have a wildlife-resistant container (City of Durango). Elsewhere in the city, a container is required only after you get a wildlife scattering trash violation. Otherwise it is optional but highly encouraged (City of Durango).
A violation starts when wildlife scatters your trash and you get a courtesy notice. From then on, you have 24 hours to act. Store your trash in a secure place during the week. Get a city-provided wildlife-resistant container or a wildlife-resistant metal dumpster. And put the can at the curb only between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on collection day (City of Durango).
How do I use a bear container correctly?
Learn which kind you have. A manual wildlife-resistant container has two metal clasps over the lid. You must unlock it the morning of collection. An automated container has plastic dials and latches, and it needs no unlocking (City of Durango). The city's general guideline is simple. Set containers out between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Keep 4 feet of clearance around them. Pull them off the public right-of-way by 8 p.m. A lid that will not close can draw a $12.50 overfill charge.
What if I live outside city limits?
You deal with a hauler, not the city. Bear Smart Durango says all local waste haulers offer residential and commercial bear-resistant containers. It lists four county residential haulers. Phoenix Recycling is at 970-375-1300. Reliable Waste Service is at 970-205-9977. Republic Services is at 970-247-0646. Waste Management is at 970-247-1821 (Bear Smart Durango).
La Plata County passed its own wildlife-resistant trash ordinance in 2008. A 2018 county guide lists fines of $200, $300 and $500 for first, second and later offenses. You can have the fines waived by getting a wildlife-resistant container (Bear Smart Durango). That guide is old, so confirm current amounts. Find haulers in the garbage collection category. Our trash and recycling answer covers the city system.
Where do I report bears in trash?
Call the La Plata County Bear Hotline at 970-247-BEAR (2327) (Bear Smart Durango). Scattered trash inside the city goes to Code Enforcement at 970-375-4930. Bear conflicts go to Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 970-247-0855 (City of Durango). State law changed this year too. HB26-1342, signed May 28, 2026, covers anyone who knowingly leaves food or edible waste in the open where it will likely lure a bear. It also repeals the first-offense warning requirement (Colorado General Assembly).