SANTA ANA, Calif., June 16 (UPI) -- Locked trash cans that didn't keep bears away in Alaska are being used to stop human intruders in Santa Ana, Calif., officials say.
Residents lock their garbage and recycling cans to keep human scavengers from removing items they may be able to recycle for cash, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
The cans these customers of Waste Management are using were designed to keep bears out of the garbage in Alaska, but they didn't hold up to the animals' pounding, the report said. They are locked with a key, but are opened with gravity when the hauler upends the container with the truck's automated arm.
City officials say they brought in the new containers after hearing more and more complaints about human scavengers awaking residents in the middle of the night and occasionally frightening them. Commercial trash containers are often locked to prevent "dumpster diving," but locks on residential cans are new, the report said.
