Dive Brief:

• Wildlife officials in Nevada are pressuring trustees at a Lake Tahoe community to require residents to use bear-proof waste containers.
• This push for bear-proof bins stems from an increase of black bears on residential properties in the area; this summer state wildlife officials have killed three bears, with two additional bears dying after being tranquilized.
• ​Some officials would like to impose penalties on residents who do not dispose of their trash properly, while the opposition does not want citizens to incur higher rates for service or additional fees to obtain new trash cans.

Dive Insight:

The debate will continue at the next meeting scheduled for October 30. How many bears will get into trash or be killed within that time frame? What will happen if a human life is at stake—will policy be implemented at a faster rate?