It will be fall in a few weeks and while it's been a relatively trouble free summer for bear calls, this will be the time when they are trying to fatten up for a long winter's sleep.
Experts say bears will be looking for food, possibly in people's back yards, and stinky garbage is the number one bear attractant to your property.
Even after garbage is collected, bins can remain quite dirty and harbor bacteria.
"The Ministry recommends that people wash their garbage bins and recycle bins as well as businesses to wash their industrial dumpsters and using a high-using a disinfectant just to get rid of those odors and that sort of thing will really go a long way to prevent bears from coming into town," said Heather Pridham, Ministry Of Natural Resources and Forestry management supervisor.
The garbage bins in Timmins and other northern communities are rather large and made out of plastic; not many people consider cleaning them.
Northeastern Ontario Sanitizing wants to do just that.
"Decomposing garbage is like ringing the dinner bell for bears so we want to keep them away. They can come into town. It's not normal, but let's not invite them; let's keep the cans clean," said Marc Delorme, Northeastern Ontario Sanitizing owner.
Some people might not like using harsh chemicals, but Delorme said his process is environmentally friendly.
"Super-heated water actually cleans and sanitizes the bins. Getting rid of the some of the nasty bacteria that might be found on them," Delorme explained.
"I thought, 'oh, they'll never get these clean'," said Lise Riva.
"They're perfect. It's amazing. I'm so happy. They smell good."
Police and the MNRF said it’s been an average year for bear calls, but as summer winds down, Timmins police say they expect calls to go up
"This time of year, the fruit is starting to ripen and fall off the fruit trees so cleaning that up is also a really good idea cause that's a major attractant for bears," said Kate Cantin, Timmins Police Service communications coordinator.
The Riva's don't want bears coming to their property and they are pleased with how fresh their containers are now.
