How to Keep Raccoons Out of Trash

Dealing with raccoons rummaging through your trash can be frustrating and messy. These clever animals can easily pry open lids, leaving you with a daily cleanup challenge.

At Prime Dumpster, we understand how important it is to secure your garbage and maintain a clean environment. In this guide, we’ll share practical tips on how to keep raccoons out of trash, helping you protect your home and prevent unwanted intrusions.

Understanding Raccoon Behavior

Gaining insight into raccoon behavior can help you better protect your trash from these clever creatures. Raccoons are known for their dexterity and intelligence, which allows them to thrive in diverse environments. 

Understanding why raccoons are attracted to trash can significantly aid in your efforts to keep them at bay.

Why Raccoons Are Attracted to Trash

Raccoons are omnivores, and their foraging behavior often leads them to unsecured trash cans. They are particularly drawn to food remnants, which release enticing scents. 

Their nimble paws enable them to easily manipulate trash can lids and access food inside. Implementing effective trash bagging techniques, using heavy-duty bags, and ensuring that lids are secured with bungee cords or weights can help deter these opportunistic feeders.

Raccoon Habitats and Ranging Patterns

Raccoon habitats vary widely, ranging from forests to urban areas. They adapt quickly to different environments, finding food sources in unexpected places. 

In urban settings, raccoons may den in attics, crawl spaces, or under decks, making it essential to cover openings that are at least 3.5 inches in diameter. 

Regularly cleaning garbage areas removes food debris and reduces the likelihood of attracting these animals to your home.

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Trash Cans at Home

Learning how to keep raccoons out of your trash requires a combination of practical strategies. 

Securing Trash Can Lids

One of the most effective ways of how to keep raccoons out of trash can is by ensuring your trash can lids are tightly sealed. 

Raccoons are known for their dexterous paws, capable of prying open loosely fitting lids. Consider using bungee cords to secure the lids of your trash cans. 

Choose wildlife-proof trash cans that feature robust metal locking mechanisms. Investing in these cans increases your chances of keeping unwanted visitors at bay.

Relocating Trash Cans

If raccoons frequent your area, think about relocating your trash cans. Place them against a house or garage for added security. 

Storing trash cans indoors, such as in a garage or shed, especially during the night when raccoons are most active, can be highly beneficial. This simple action can greatly decrease the temptation for raccoons, helping ensure that your garbage remains untouched.

Using Animal Repellents

Beyond traditional strategies, consider incorporating scent-based deterrents into your routine. Raccoons dislike strong odors, so substances like detergent, ammonia, vinegar, or even cayenne pepper can be effectively deployed around your trash cans. 

Regularly renewing these scents ensures that raccoons remain deterred while you focus on maintaining a cleaner trash area.

Fencing and Enclosures

Another robust layer of protection involves using fencing and custom enclosures for your trash cans. Installing a sturdy fence can create a significant barrier between raccoons and their treasure trove of waste. 

If you go a step further and create a specialized enclosure, you make it exceedingly difficult for these opportunistic foragers to access food scraps. 

Choose designs that are high enough and secured properly, which will ensure raccoons cannot easily reach your garbage. Implementing a two-pronged approach not only helps maintain cleanliness but also fortifies your outdoor space against nightly intrusions.

Cleaning Your Trash Area

Maintaining a clean trash area plays a crucial role in deterring raccoons from foraging through your garbage. A tidy environment reduces the allure of strong food odors that attract these nocturnal omnivores. Regular upkeep not only keeps your surroundings pleasant but also minimizes the risk of raccoon intrusion.

Importance of Regular Cleanliness

Frequent cleaning of the trash area helps in eliminating scents that beckon raccoons. After trash collection, use products like Pine-Sol or a bleach solution to wash your garbage cans. This effectively neutralizes lingering food odors that raccoons can pick up from a distance.

By establishing a routine for cleaning your trash area, you can significantly limit the chances of these clever creatures raiding your bins.

Using Odor-Reducing Techniques

Implementing odor-reducing techniques can be a game-changer in your efforts to keep raccoons away. Consider double-bagging any food waste, especially items that are particularly pungent. 

You might also sprinkle baby powder or soak cotton balls in vinegar around the trash area to mask enticing scents. Some homeowners have found success with natural deterrents like coyote urine or hot pepper sprays. 

These strategies can further enhance your cleaning trash area efforts, creating an unwelcoming environment for raccoons.

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Dumpsters

Learning how to keep raccoons out of a dumpster presents a unique challenge compared to trash cans due to the larger size and accessibility of these waste containers. While trash cans can often be easily secured with bungee cords or moved indoors, dumpsters are typically left outside and hold a far larger volume of waste, making them more attractive to raccoons looking for food.

Additionally, the larger opening and construction of dumpsters make it easier for raccoons to climb in, requiring a more strategic approach to keeping them out. Preventing raccoons from accessing dumpsters involves using secure lids, proper waste management, and deterrents that make the area less inviting to wildlife.

Use raccoon-proof dumpster lids

Choose heavy, locking dumpster lids that raccoons cannot lift or pry open. Metal lids with secure latches are highly effective in keeping these clever animals out.

Install motion-activated lights or noise devices

Motion-activated deterrents can scare raccoons away when they approach the dumpster. These lights or noise devices work by startling the raccoons and making the area seem less safe for foraging.

Secure dumpsters with fencing or enclosures

A fenced area around the dumpster can create a physical barrier, making it harder for raccoons to reach the dumpster. Choose high, sturdy fencing that raccoons cannot climb or push through.

Keep the dumpster area clean

Regularly clean the dumpster and the surrounding area to remove food debris and spills that attract raccoons. A clean environment helps reduce the odors that lure them in.

Use raccoon repellents around the dumpster

Apply natural raccoon repellents like vinegar, ammonia, or cayenne pepper around the dumpster to deter them from getting too close. These strong smells can help mask food odors and make the area less inviting.

Keeping raccoons out of dumpsters requires more robust measures than typical trash cans due to the size and accessibility of these containers. By using a combination of secure lids, deterrents, and regular cleaning, you can protect your dumpster from nightly raccoon raids.

What to Do If You Find a Raccoon Stuck in a Trash Can or Dumpster

If you find a raccoon stuck in a trash can or dumpster, it’s important to remain calm and avoid startling the animal. Raccoons can become agitated when trapped, and they may act defensively if they feel threatened, so keeping your distance is crucial.

First, ensure a clear escape route for the raccoon, as raccoons can’t always get out of dumpsters on their own. You can do this by placing a long, sturdy board or branch inside the dumpster or trash can to create a ramp the raccoon can use to climb out.

It’s important not to attempt to handle or touch the raccoon, as they can carry diseases like rabies. Instead, focus on giving the animal a way to leave independently, ensuring both your safety and the raccoon’s.

Once the raccoon has escaped, secure the dumpster or trash can to prevent future incidents. Using raccoon-proof lids or moving the container indoors can help ensure they won’t get stuck again.

If the raccoon doesn’t leave on its own or seems injured, contact a local wildlife professional for assistance. They will have the necessary expertise to remove the animal and provide care if needed safely.

Protect Your Trash from Fuzzy Bandits! 

Securing your trash and learning how to keep raccoons out of trash is easier when you follow the right steps. From securing lids to using animal repellents, you can keep your yard clean and raccoon-free.

For larger cleanup projects or when dealing with extensive waste disposal, Prime Dumpster is here to assist. Contact us to learn more about renting and securing dumpsters to manage waste disposal effectively at both residential and commercial locations.