Teton County has massive increase of bear containers

TETON COUNTY, Wyo. (KIFI) - Teton County has been on a mission to provide trash cans that are bear resistant for their residents. They are reporting after only 15% of their residents had these bear resistant containers at the end of 2022, more than 85% of their residents now have these containers at the end of 2023.

The county is hoping all of its residents can limit their interactions with the bears with these containers. Safety is important for not just us, but it is also important for the bears. There have been multiple dangerous interactions between bears and people for ages.

Multiple local companies work hard to make sure that the container is bear resistant. Chris Collegian, the project manager with Teton County Public Works, says each container spends at least an hour with a bear nearby.

The county is working and hoping to provide a container to the rest of the residents during 2024.