As an opportunistic omnivore, the black bear has a strong attraction to human garbage disposal sites, particularly landfills. Concentrated non-natural attractants at the landfill offer high nutrient availability with little energy expenditure.

Consuming large quantities of digestible food allows bears to attain the largest layer of fat possible to survive the denning period. Since landfills and other human garbage sources contain the most concentrated sources of calorie rich foods they are extremely attractive to bears, especially in the fall.

Extremely pungent sites, like the landfill, have the ability to draw bears in from long distances e.g. transient bears from other territories. If this non-natural food source were not available, the attraction to the area would cease.

Many landfills have an additional attraction to bears as they are surrounded by high quality bear habitat with abundant natural food sources and lots of forested security cover.

Feeding on human garbage causes health concerns for bears - extensive tooth decay, lacerations on the paws and mouth, internal damage to organs from sharp objects (also causing infection), plastics can block internal systems like the intestines, ingestion of toxic substances and parasitic infections can cause illness and death.

Electrifying your landfill should, not only be mandatory, but should be one of your first considerations. A well-designed and properly installed electric fence will prevent bears from accessing your landfill. There are some special considerations that should be considered when electrifying such a highly attractive site.

You will need to consider bears digging underneath the fence. To prevent digging, you can lay down horizontal fencing one foot below the surface. Bears also have a habit of entering the gate when it is left open and often get caught inside. There are a couple of options to prevent access through open gates: (1) automatic sliding gates that open and close when the weight of a vehicle passes over the entrance, and (2) electrified cattle grate entrance. Of these two options, the second will be more effective and easier from a human-use standpoint.