Category Archives: Garbage
What can the TRASH KNIGHT do for me?
Written by: Anne Driscoll for Trash Knight
One of the most necessary items for the home, yet one of the most unnoticed is the trash can. We mindlessly toss a crumpled piece of paper its way, shove it haphazardly underneath our sinks and toss them around our backyards until trash night comes.
Actually, I’m only half-right. We do notice our trash cans. When they are smelly, messy and unsightly. When trash cans begin being a noticeable issue, it’s time to rethink the garbage can strategy. When buying your next trash can, why not opt for something a bit more dignified and something that will stand up to the elements, rodents and large animals. (READ: BEARS!)
Q. What can the TRASH KNIGHT do for me?
A. The main use of the TRASH KNIGHT has always been to keep animals out of residential garbage, but it does other things as well. 
1. The rolling and towable models are an excellent mobility aid for older folks or a simple convenience for anybody who doesn’t want to make multiple trips to the curb lugging heavy trash cans. Your garbage can be taken out on ‘trash night’ (the night before your trash service comes), to avoid having to take it out before dawn on ‘trash day’ for fear of animal intrusion.
2. The TRASH KNIGHT can get your garbage cans out of the garage. Tired of that odor when you go to get in your car?
3. The TRASH KNIGHT opens your cans for you. No more prying unsanitary lids off. Taking the garbage out is now ‘touchless’. Germaphobes rejoice!
4. Reduce your trash can expense. The Rubbermaid BRUTEtm trash can is an extremely tough commercial grade product. They are expensive, but last a very long time, and the Trash Man can’t throw the lids when they are attached to the unit. In fact, my trash man likes the fact that he never has to pick up my trash so much that he has agreed to gently place my cans back in my TRASH KNIGHT rather than tossing them on the ground.
5. The TRASH KNIGHT can be used for storage of animal feed of almost any type. From rabbits to horses, one of our models can simplify feeding time and ensure varmint proof storage.
Q. What trash can does the TRASH KNIGHT use and why? 
A. The TRASH KNIGHT uses the 32 gallon Rubbermaid BRUTEtm trash can for one reason- they are the best. They are not inexpensive ($30.00 each at the big box stores), but they hold up very well, which creates value in the long run. We have customers that have had the same set of cans for over ten years. They will not crack even when smashed badly. During destructive testing, we put ten gallons of water in them, froze them solid and threw them as far as we could without damage. My children have used the lids as Frisbees and were only able to damage our vehicles. Try that with an $18.00 can.
Twelve days of Trash Knight
Twelve days of Trash Knight
(Sung to the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas)
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight rats all eating
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine bags a ripping
Eight rats all eating
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten boxes for bailing
Nine bags a ripping
Eight rats all eating
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven coyotes dancing
Ten boxes for bailing
Nine bags a ripping
Eight rats all eating
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve frogs a leaping
Eleven coyotes dancing
Ten boxes for bailing
Nine bags a ripping
Eight rats all eating
Seven raccoons sneaking
Six geese laying
Five soda cans
Four blue birds
Three black bears
Two messy squirrels and
A Trash Knight System for me!
Related articles
- Twelve Days Of Christmas Has Its Own Index! (brandtechnews.net)
- Christmas Week: The 12 Days Of Christmas (boston.cbslocal.com)
- The Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas (wistatetreasury.wordpress.com)
Keep bears away from your trash!
Fascinating Bear Facts
Image by rofanator via Flickr
Bears in Yosemite are getting ready for winter by consuming as many as 15,000-20,000 calories per day and drinking several gallons of water. Acorns are a great source of food for bears this time of year. This data was taken from a Yosemite National Park study of bears and their habits. Remember, bears are very industrious and want to find food. Make sure your trash is secure in a Trash Knight system.
Bear Incidents
| Location | Incidents | Damage |
| Parking lots | 18 | $10,560 |
| Campgrounds | 41 | $2,125 |
| Other areas | 41 | $2,462 |
| Wilderness | 10 | $678 |
| Total | 110 | $15,825 |
In addition, there have been 26 incidents of bears obtaining food from trash that was left out or from unsecured trash cans or dumpsters.
Number of incidents last year
To date: 464
Total: 512
So far this year, incidents are down 76% compared to the same time last year, and down 92% since 1998.
Activity Update (11/1/2011)
This week, a bear got food out of a cooler that was strapped to the roof of a van at Happy Isles during the day. Please store food properly at all times of day, and never leave food unattended, even if you plan to be away just a short while.
Basic Bear Biology (From Yosemite National Park, http://www.nps.gov.com)
- Color: Most are not black but brown or even blond or reddish brown
- Weight: Average adult male is 300 to 350 pounds and female is 200 to 250 pounds
- Diet: Mostly grasses and berries with acorns as a favorite food
- Hibernation: Reduce body temperature, pulse rate, and respiration to conserve energy
- Reproduction: Females give birth while in a half-sleep hibernation mode to a litter of one to three cubs
- Young: Cubs remain with their mother until about 16 to 17 months of age
U.S. Forest Service
American black bears are suited to Yosemite’s forest habitat.
American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Yosemite National Park have long been of intense interest to park visitors and managers. Seeing one of the approximately 300 to 500 black bears in Yosemite can evoke excitement, awe, and fear. Visitors who spot a bear sauntering across a meadow or eating berries in a wetland should consider themselves lucky.
But, if the brown bear, also known as the grizzly, is on California state flag, why not look for it when in Yosemite? This is because, in California, there are no more grizzlies. When Euro-Americans arrived, they found a large population of grizzlies throughout the state. Grizzlies were a dire threat to life and property, however, and were killed in large numbers. By the early 1900s, few grizzlies and little of their prime habitat in the Central Valley remained. The last California grizzly was killed south of Yosemite in the Sierra foothills in 1922, according to one account. Black bears, in contrast to brown bears, have fared much better due to a combination of their greater adaptability around people and habitat stability.
Black bears fascinate wildlife enthusiasts due to their curious physiology and behaviors. Most of Yosemite’s black bears, despite their name, are not black but are brown in color. Truly black black bears are rare in the Southwest. Black bears vary greatly in size— the largest black bear captured in Yosemite weighed 690 pounds, which is much larger than the typical male found here that weighs 300 to 350 pounds. Bears weigh the most in fall when gorging on acorns to gain fat to survive winter—consuming up to 20,000 calories a day. (That is a lot of calories, equating to a person eating 40 Big Mac sandwiches in a day.) Bears hibernate in hollow trees or logs, under the root mass of a tree, or in caves formed by the jumble of large rocks. While hibernating, bears enter a state of reduced body temperature, pulse rate, and respiration to conserve energy and do not defecate nor urinate but can metabolically extract energy from body wastes. Their “sleep” is not a deep one, which allows them to leave the den periodically. After emerging from winter dens, bears feed largely on meadow grasses, which are low in nutrition but sustain them until berries of various plant species ripen to provide higher calories. Bears also eat ants, termites, and insect larvae ripped out of logs or dug from the ground. In terms of lifespan, the oldest bear known in Yosemite was a 28-year-old female captured in the West Valley in 2001–park biologists never saw her again.
Visitors who encounter a bear should keep their distance out of safety and respect for themselves and the animal. If visitors see a black bear in undeveloped areas, they should remain at least 50 yards from it. If they encounter a bear in developed areas, they should stand their ground and scare the bear away by raising their arms and making loud noises. Black bears may show dominance by bluff charging, especially when guarding food or cubs. Attacks are rare, and no one has been killed by a black bear at Yosemite.
The Yosemite bear management team places signs where a vehicle-bear collision has occurred in the park to educate drivers to slow down.
Park managers attempt to preserve this species that can be negatively affected by humans. First, visitors should drive the speed limit, reminded by signage placed where a bear has been hit by a vehicle. Next, visitors should avoid poor food storage practices. Management efforts by groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society study how to better make humans aware of their actions. (Academic Reports: Read about human-bear interaction.)
Bear management attitudes have changed since the early days of the park’s history when little was done to keep bears from becoming conditioned to human food. Decades ago, the National Park Service maintained several bear feeding areas in the park where bears were fed for entertainment reasons.
When visiting, visitors should expect black bears to attempt amazing acts to obtain human food. If food has been left in a car, bears will break vehicle windows, bend car frames, and pop open camper shells. To get into a trunk, they will enter the passenger area and claw through the back seat. Learn about Yosemite’s bear management and food storage regulations for campgrounds, trailheads, lodging and wilderness.
Source (more on Bear Management page):
- Mazur, R. & Seher, V. (2008). Socially Learned Foraging Behaviour in Wild Black Bears, Ursus Americanus, The Association for the Study ofAnimal Behaviour, 75: 1503-1508. [166 kb PDF]
To Learn More
- Get up-to-date details of Yosemite’s bear activity.
- See how to use bearproof food lockers located throughout the park.
- View a video on proper food storage for all visitors.
- Backpackers need to take additional precautions to ensure proper food storage. Canisters are required in all of Yosemite’s backcountry.
- If you see a bear, file a wildlife observation summary report or e-mail sighting specifics with location details to the park.
Related articles
- Road Trip Part 4: Welcome To Bear Country (netcars.com)
- Bear walks into pizzeria, eats pizza (upi.com)
Welcome!
We’ve all been there. You actually remember to take the trash out on trash night. What a feeling of accomplishment, relief and satisfaction. Now you don’t have to worry about racing down the driveway in the morning and being late for work.
Morning comes and you’re getting ready for your day. Time flies by quickly, especially if you have little ones to get to school or a lengthy commute. As you race out the door, you are met with a most unpleasant sight.
The garbage.
The garbage you so carefully placed out the night before is now laying all over your driveway, lawn, neighbor’s lawn, neighbor’s driveway, and a good portion of the street. At some point in the evening some of the following may have visited your house.
Raccoons
Preventing and controlling property damage 
Raccoons are common inhabitants of urban and semi-urban areas. Because local ordinances provide raccoons with near-total protection in many areas, dealing with damage or nuisance situations in those settings presents some unique problems. Homeowners having a problem with raccoons in garbage should store the garbage in a stout metal or plastic container and close the lid tightly. It should be wired, clamped or tied shut if necessary. If the problem persists it may be necessary to tie the can to a post or other solid object to prevent it from being tipped over, or to put the garbage cans inside the garage or outdoor shed. Raccoons may be attracted by dog or cat food left out overnight, and it may be necessary to feed pets indoors or to provide food only during the day.
Bears
Conflicts between people and bears have increased as more people build homes and cabins in rural areas. Conflicts between people and bears arise when bears damage personal property, beehives, livestock and agricultural crops.
A bear will take advantage of any foods available and will attempt to eat anything that resembles food in look, smell or taste. When natural foods such as nuts, meat berries, insects and tender vegetation are scarce, bears search actively for anything to eat. This is when bears most often come in contact with people. When bears find a source of food they will usually return regularly.
Solution
The best way to prevent this situation from occurring again is to have a proper garbage containment system in place, such as the Trash Knight. Check us out…you’ll be glad you did.
Related articles
- Where the wild things are (with apologies to Maurice Sendak) (fontanalib.wordpress.com)
- Those wacky raccoons (sfgate.com)
- Homeowner reports someone dumped his garbage all over someone else’s driveway blocks away (phinneywood.com)
Trash Knight 