Cunning foxes have learnt how to break into food waste bins when they are locked.
A video – from Philip Wells’s doorbell camera – caught foxes opening his food waste bin even though it was locked in the upright and also the front position.
Mr Wells, of Shaftesbury Road, Brighton, had kept a brick on top of the bin to prevent wildlife from breaking in.
But this was taken by a passer-by one evening before the foxes had their way.
He said: “I woke to find bits of peelings and teabags strewn across the path.
“Looking back over our front door security camera, I was amazed at the cunning of the fox who had learnt how to unlock the food waste caddy so quickly.
“Even the lower locking position was no match for the local wildlife”.
To prevent future break-ins, he has wedged the orange-topped outdoor bin next to his general waste and added a heavy canister on top.
Animals scavenging in the larger orange-lidded food waste bins has been an issue in the streets near Shaftesbury Road, which is home to quite a few urban foxes.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “While our food waste bins are designed to deter animals – and are largely successful at doing so – foxes are incredibly intelligent and there will always be some who work out how to gain access.
“Placing something heavy on the lid or locating the caddy higher up and out of reach are ways to further deter particularly resourceful foxes.
“Where there are persistent problems with foxes, these caddies are also small enough to be kept indoors or stored more securely throughout the week prior to the collection day.”
There was an item on a TV News programme a few months ago where free-roaming donkeys in the New Forest had learned how to open the food waste bins. The local council was trying to work out how to solve the issue before the commoners’ rights animals, including cattle, were let out to graze.
In terms of foxes, I have five that pass through my garden regularly and nothing edible escapes them. Luckily, I do have space in an outbuilding to keep bins, and certainly don’t want the bin in my home, but many people don’t have outside storage. Suggesting putting the bin higher up isn’t a lot of use, foxes can clear a 2 metre high fence with ease.
A silly waste of money for anyone with a garden as they can simply compost their food waste and use on their own gardens.
Most people don’t have a garden though, Tracy.
The foxes in Kemptown and Roedean have never looked healthier.
Every week there are multiple open food recycle bins – and the foxes drag the food around – and dig into peoples gardens to “save it” for a dry day.
The foxes are also getting territorial about areas with waste bins and leave “smelly fox deposits” around the bins constantly.
The food recycle scheme has failed
One could argue that Brighton residents have failed the food recycling scheme.
In my area (near Lewes Road) people just aren’t very good at organising their waste / recycling. Food boxes are left unlocked and food is left strewn all around for days until the council come and sweep it up. An extra cost to the tax payer. At least the council are telling people to be mindful.
I do wonder if it’s less of an issue where people have those big shared bins.
You can hand feed the foxes hove, very good.
3.17 The LCA concluded the difference between separate collection and treatment of
food waste through anaerobic digestion or in vessel composting compared to the
baseline is low because residual waste is not sent to landfill
This assesment assumed
– storing food waste at Hollingdean
– all diesel vehicles
– residual waste moved to bi-weekly
So using food waste bins does more environmental harm than using the residual bins according to the councils own research. Moving to every other week will have minimal effect as in communal bin areas moving waste from the large communal electric vehicles to the smaller diesel food waste is losing any gainss.
USELESS
If anything needs binning it’s the council.
You can’t outfox a fox!
Thank the Labour party for the urban foxes- took them 400 hours to discuss – look it up in Hansard.
During the 400 hrs Brown gave the MPs a vote on their MPs pension- a 30% increase not one but twice – when the Equitable LIfe pension collapsed. Then he sold the gold and then the 2008 BIG Short took place.
Look up how many urban foxes are removed by local council pest control teams every year.