If you're like most homeowners, you appreciate the way your local trash removal company arrives every week to haul away your household refuse. However, wildlife such as raccoons, rodents, and even black bears and coyotes are often attracted to the easy pickings and tasty treats provided by the contents of trash cans in residential areas. Few things are more unsettling than to find that a creature has helped itself to your trash and left an unsightly mess up and down your street. Fortunately, strategies exist designed to keep this sort of thing to a minimum. Following are three ways to keep your trash from being strewn haphazardly all across your yard, your neighbor's yards, and onto the streets and sidewalks.

Keep Your Trash Inside Until the Morning of Pickup Day 

Although this approach may not be the best for large households, keeping your trash inside until the morning of pickup day keeps it out of the way of wildlife. Chicken bones and other food refuse that can't go down the garbage disposal can be placed in small trash bags and kept in the freezer until the morning of pickup day to avoid unpleasant odors in the home environment. Always wait until the morning of pickup day to take your outdoor receptacle to the curb — although it may be tempting to take it the night before, most wildlife species are nocturnal and therefore are more likely to be prowling at night. 

Keep Your Trash Can in the Garage

Keeping your trash receptacle securely locked in the garage or an outbuilding is also an effective way to ensure that it's safe from marauding wildlife and is far more practical for larger families that generate more trash than keeping it all indoors until the morning of pickup day. 

Use a Wildlife-Proof Trash Receptacle 

Not everyone has a garage or outbuilding where they can keep their trash can, so the next best thing is a wildlife-proof receptacle. Wildlife-proof trash cans are often made of heavy-duty materials, such as steel or polycarbonate, that can withstand the impacts of animals trying to break into them. Many wildlife-proof trash cans have a locking mechanism, such as a latch or a lock, that keeps the lid securely closed. They are designed to be easy for humans to open and close, but difficult for animals. As an added bonus, secure lids also help contain odors that wildlife may find tempting.  Ask your trash removal company for localized suggestions on keeping wildlife from wreaking havoc on your household trash. 

Reach out to a waste removal service for more information.