Pest Proofing Your Trash Cans

A common problem among business and homeowners alike is opportunistic pests known for raiding your trash during the  night and in the early morning. Tipped-over barrels and gnawed-through bags aren’t only eyesores for businesses and homes, but can pose hygiene problems that might jeopardize a compliance statutes and laws in the business world, depending on the industry.

 Here are three ways that you can curb trashy  pests from from dumpster diving on your property.

Use a dumpster’s integrated latch

Many commercial dumpsters employ basic latches and catches that keep their doors and lids closed, but not locked. While this can be an annoyance, especially for employees that find themselves with their hands full struggling to fill the dumpster, the 15 seconds it takes to unlatch a dumpster lid can mean the difference between another hour of work to clean up trash that’s been raided by pests.

Avoid loose garbage and waste in the bin

While a trash receptacle sole purpose is to hold waste products, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should be disposing of individual articles of trash directly into the dumpster. While this is fine for cardboard products and other larger articles of waste, when it comes to organic materials, make sure that they are properly disposed of in a heavy-duty trash bag.

Careful dumpster placement

It’s important that, when initially placing your dumpster, you taking into account ways pests can infiltrate it. Leaving stacks of boxes or other refuse leaning against your garbage receptacle is practically an open invitation to raccoons, skunks, and other pests to raid your garbage.

Ammonia to the Rescue

A common preventive measure taken by business and homeowners alike is spraying their trashcans and dumpsters with ammonia. The scent resembles urine to raccoons, which may be driven off by the smell, believing it to be that of a large and threatening predator.

Know when to reach out to professionals

So you’ve followed all of these steps and still find yourself on the receiving end of pest pillagers. How do you proceed? The answer is knowing when to call the professionals. JP Pest Services has decades of experience in dealing with problematic pest infestations. Our team of professionals will work with you to identify the offending pests, eliminate them completely, and also  suggest ways to prevent  further intrusions.

Contact JP Pest Services today and find out why we’re New England’s leading pest control provider.