The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Waste Pro USA, Inc. are teaming up to help reduce human-bear conflicts in northwest Florida. Today, representatives from the two agencies met in Tallahassee to sign a Memorandum of Understanding which will solidify this partnership.
The agreement establishes a partnership between the waste service company and the FWC to make it easier for residents to secure their trash from bears.
“With the signing of this agreement, Waste Pro is stepping up and acknowledging the important role of providing the necessary equipment to help conserve bears and keep their customers safe,” said FWC Commission Chairman Brian Yablonski. “Waste Pro’s leadership in northwest Florida will serve as an example for other service providers throughout the state. We hope that more waste management companies will follow their lead.”
Black bears are attracted to unsecured trash found at Florida residences and businesses. By properly securing trash, communities can reduce human-bear conflicts, including the risk of serious injuries to people. This partnership will help ensure that bear-resistant garbage containers are more widely available to residents and businesses in northwest Florida.
Waste Pro provides solid waste and recycling services to more than 30 municipalities in northwest Florida, including Leon and Calhoun counties.
“We are proud to partner with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” said Waste Pro of Tallahassee Division Manager, Loyd Childree. “Safety and customized service programs are the hallmarks of our operations, and we are excited to continue providing solutions to the needs of our northwest Florida customers.”
Waste Pro is a privately owned waste collection, recycling, processing and disposal company, operating in nine southeastern states. Serving more than 2 million residential and 40,000 commercial customers from over 75 operating locations, Waste Pro maintains more than 235 municipal contracts and franchises. If you are interested in bear-resistant equipment, contact your local Waste Pro office.
For more information about bears including how to reduce conflicts with them, visit MyFWC.com/Bear. More information about how local communities can become “BearWise” can be found at MyFWC.com/BearWise.