The new Toronto Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. I’d call the colour puke. Front view. Photo 1 by Don Tai.
The powers that be at the City of Toronto, Canada, have decided to provide all house residents with new green bins. These bins are larger and can be dumped mechanically by truck. They are said to be raccoon proof. We’ll what our furry friends say about this.
We use the green bin every week, but almost never fill it up. The new bin is 97 litres, while the old bin was 46.5 litres. If we put our recyclables in the blue bin, plastics in the grey bin, there is little left for the green bin. As a result we really do not need this larger bin. Oh well, it is only our taxes. I told my neighbour that we might combine green garbage to save the truck from stopping at our two houses to pick up two bins that were less than half full.
As well, since the smaller green bins were dumped by hand, the garbage guys would monitor what was thrown out and edit items that did not belong. With the newer automated system done by truck this now will not happen.
The locking mechanism works as advertised. You lock the bin with the black handle turned to the center. When the bin is turned upside down, i.e. lift it off the ground and upend it, the door will open. This will be hard for a raccoon.
There is a large channel on the interior of the bin that reduces volume. Anyway, I did not really need the extra volume.
While I find the thickness of the main compartment of the bin robust, the door is really flimsy and easily flexes when I move it. I hope the doors will last. I can see how squirrels and raccoons can eat through the thin door and access the bin. If I had a raccoon problem, which I do not, I would reinforce the door with some sheet metal. There is absolutely no ribbing or other reinforcement in the door. The locking mechanism is stiff, but might wear in in time. I fear that those with arthritis might not be able to lock the bin.
I have included photos of the locking mechanism, from the inside, to assist our raccoon friends in cracking the code for this bin. Good luck.
How to defeat the New Green Bin, for Raccoons:
Use the old bin, a fence, an air conditioning unit and get on top of the new green bin, then chew open the cover. It is thin, without reinforcement and easily defeated. You could also try to knock over the bin and then chew through the top from the ground. There is no need to defeat the lock.
The new Toronto Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. I’d call the colour puke. Front view. Photo 1 by Don Tai.
The new Toronto Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. Side view. I’d call the colour puke. Photo 2 by Don Tai.
I stand corrected. Big Weed came home and tried to lock the bin and could not using one hand. She needed two hands to do the task. Once locked I upended the bin to show her how the top opens and it jammed. It jammed 6 times in a row. I had to really jiggle it to get it open. Not good.
The new Toronto Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. Inside there are some curves that reinforce the sides and bottom. Photo 3 by Don Tai.
The new Toronto Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. I’d call the colour puke. Locking mechanism from the inside. Photo 4 by Don Tai.
The new Green bin is much larger than the old, both taller and wider. I’d call the colour puke. Inside of top is not at all reinforced, so the lid is flimsy, the weak link for the bin. Raccoon friends, attack here. Photo 5 by Don Tai.
The new Toronto Green bin is dumped by automated truck. It takes the driver a couple more seconds to grab the bin. Photo 6 by Don Tai.
The new Toronto Green bin is dumped by automated truck. It takes the driver a couple more seconds to grab the bin. Photo 7 by Don Tai.
The new Toronto Green bin is dumped by automated truck. The truck is pretty rough on the bins, but at least the sides and bottom are sturdy. Photo 8 by Don Tai.
29 Aug 2018 Raccons getting into Toronto bins:
After getting a new lid installed on her green bin, Toronto Star reporter Amy Dempsey wasn’t expecting another breach. Surely even the genius raccoon wandering around her East York neighbourhood would admit defeat. Ha! Watch the video.
Raccoon video
