WILDLIFE RESISTANT CONTAINER GUIDELINES

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

All latches, hinges and handles are made of stainless steel or zinc plated steel. The housing and doors are fabricated of rust-resistant 12, 14, and 16 gauge galvanealed steel. The receptacle is finished inside and out with powder coating. The finish is resistant to humidity, salt spray, fog, ultraviolet light, abrasion and chemicals. The receptacle is assembled with ¼" rivets and welds.

WILDLIFE RESISTANT CRITERIA

• All latches used on loading and emptying doors must be self-closing. There should be no secondary step required to secure the doors. Reinforced surfaces are necessary in case bears apply force from pushing or jumping.

• All containers should be handicap accessible.
• Gaps should be kept a maximum width of ¼". This will prevent bears from getting a firm claw grip and will also prevent rodents from entering the container.
• Water should drain away from the container's interior.
• All containers must have provisions for bolting firmly to a hard surface.
• Container surface should never overlap. Instead, doors should recess into the container body. Overlapping surfaces provide bears a place to grab.
• Do not rely on gravity to re-latch container doors. Latch hardware should be spring-loaded.
• Latches should be designed with consideration to the abilities of all sizes of bears. The latch hood must be sized properly. A deflector plate must be set near the latch opening so small bears cannot slide their paw in. The actuation lever must be properly recessed out of the reach of adult claw tips. The force required to operate the latch must be less than 5 lbs. The inside of the door must have a protective plate covering the latch to ensure consistent function.

Download the guidelines.