Toter earns bear-resistant certification for two bins

The Toter brand of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Wastequip says the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) has certified Toter for its 64- and 96-gallon Bear Tough Carts) as being able to withstand grizzly bear efforts to enter the sealed waste and recycling collection bins.

Approval of the IGBC (which consists of representatives from five federal agencies and several state wildlife agencies) verifies the products have met minimum standards related to the amount of effort grizzly bears must expend to access the containers’ contents, says Toter.

During testing, Toter’s bear-resistant carts were filled with food, and food was also rubbed on the carts’ exterior to make their smell desirable to bears, thus enticing them to attempt access. Toter’s Bear Tough Carts successfully withstood grizzly bear intrusion attempts for one hour without the containers allowing access, says the firm.

“Obtaining this certification puts our products into a new category—so we are not just saying this is bear-resistant through the branding, it’s been proven by testing,” states Jeniffer Coates, vice president of product management at Toter. “Our Bear Resistant Carts provide reliability for customers and offer cost-effective solutions for communities seeking to bear-proof their waste management programs.”

Toter says the 64- and 96-gallon bins are constructed with its Advanced Rotational Molding technique, creating “a rugged rim to prevent chewing. Along with a double-walled lid, a beefier handle and hinge, and thoughtfully designed pry points, the carts can withstand the claws and jaws of bears, says the company.

Features of the carts, according to Toter, include:

• improved routing and collection efficiencies because of compatibility with both fully-automated and semiautomated applications;
• a safe and robust design that makes the carts easy to maneuver, yet extremely difficult for bears to compromise;
• a ready-to-roll design with the lids, locks, stop bars and bodies all fully assembled upon delivery;
• updated can lid and edge designed to eliminate pry points and provide a tall protective surface that’s too large for a normal bear’s jaws to grab; and
• tri-segment hinges designed to improve durability and maintain functionality.