cityscape
New Battle Lines Drawn in War on Raccoon
But is a new city contract raising a new breed of super-raccoons?
Photo by Yana and Denis Bukharov from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
A new type of green bin from the City of Toronto aims to finally stymie our number one menace: raccoons.
According to a staff report at council, the $31.6-million contract awarded to Rehrig Pacific Company has more than twice the capacity, and, more importantly, features a “rodent-resistant locking lid.” (Important editor’s note: Raccoons are not rodents, but the staff report refers to the misunderstood critter pretty much as though they are one.)
The bins will be distributed to residents in late 2015 and early 2016.
This green bin wasn’t just slapped together—this is serious business. There was a poll and everything. In 2012, Ipsos Reid did reached out to 501 Toronto residents over the age of 18 and asked them for their thoughts on the preexisting bins.
Among respondents, 67 per cent said “rodent resistance” was the most important feature of their bin, presumably because they know losing is not an option in the War on Raccoons.
This emphasis on raccoon resistance may be counter-productive, though. Raccoons are very smart and adaptive, and by making the green bins extra difficult, we may just be creating an environment for a breed of super-raccoons. It’s pretty much like (spoiler alert) the plot of the Edge of Tomorrow.
Torontoist, for one, welcomes our new raccoon overlords. Long live Raccoon Nation.
Photo from City Council agenda item PW 3.1