Gardens
Raccoon Deterrent | 4 Ways to Keep Raccoons Out of Garbage Cans
Sometimes a practical raccoon deterrent can yield surprising results. Learn four ways to keep raccoons out of your garbage cans for good.
By Earl Proulx|Apr 25 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine Keenan3 More Raccoon Deterrent Ideas
- To keep raccoons out of your garbage, stretch a rubber bungee cord tight from one handle over the top of the lid to the other handle.
- Hang a string of blinking Christmas lights around trash cans and leave them on all night to act as a raccoon deterrent.
- To keep persistent and clever raccoons out of your trash, sprinkle a little ammonia on each trash bag you put in the can. This will keep dogs out, too.
LEARN MORE: Fun Facts about Raccoons & Common Raccoon Diseases How to Keep Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders | Simple Solutions How to Get Rid of Skunk Odor
I rigged up a motion activated sprinkler and haven’t had much trouble with racoons since. Just wish I could see them discover it :).
Raccoons got through my bungee cord defense. Thanks for the ammonia tip; I’ve used hot red pepper flakes on too of the bags with good results.
I used to have a problem with raccoons and skunks trying to get into the trash. Using a hand-pump sprayer, I sprayed the trash area and the barrels with cayenne pepper mixed in warm water. This has proven an excellent deterrent. The first night I watched a raccoon sniff at the barrel and then move on, after that I have had no more problems. I sprayed every night for a week and now I spray 1x a week or so…
I just spray my trash barrels or trash bags with Bug spray any kind will do!
I think that that is a great idea Ellie!
Bungee cord didn’t last one night. Motion sprinkler lasted six weeks. Ammonia will be the next try!
Hello, anyone know the best way to get rid of raccoons, because i live near the forest, and they often coming to my yard to swarming there, so i want to get rid them faster as i can!
We had sunken garbage cans. Even a cement block on top of the lid didn’t work. Their little hands are too good a bungee cords. Didn’t think about some of the other suggestions that have been mentioned. We had gotten a tool shed and ended up just putting the garbage in there with the door securely locked.
What about the motion sensor hoot owls?
Since many of us have dogs, the raccoons in our neighborhood wait for trash night when the garbage cans are on the street. We have three Toters—blue for recycling, black for landfill garbage and green for compost. The raccoons start with the compost since it has eggshells, but then they hit the recycling. Our street is often littered with uncollected garbage, left by tipped over trash containers. We cannot strap the lids shut, as this will prevent the automated trash collectors from emptying the contents—and these trucks typically come at about 5 a.m., so unlocking a lid at that ungodly hour is out of the question. Is there a container that has a secure, pest-proof lid but opens easily when collected by an automated system?
The trash collectors suggest a can with moth balls inside and the top punched with holes. Place it near the trash cans on the ground.
I had persistent problems with racoons, they even learned how to remove the bungee cord!.. I tried a good dose of cayenne pepper. It’s relatively cheap and you only need about a tablespoon. Anyway, I sprinkled it all over the top of the garbage. In the middle of the night, I heard the lid open and drop, then, Some ungodly sound from the world beyond! When I inspected the can the next morning, the garbage was all neatly packed down (the little guy took the plunge) , but nothing was disturbed. I saw a few footprints in the direction of the creek (we live by the water), but never saw a raccoon again. The cayenne can be gotten for under $5 for a 10.5 ounce jar and lasts several months. Interestingly enough, commercial repellents selling for much more use cayenne as the active ingredient!
I had a mother raccoon use my fireplace chimney as a maternity ward and crying baby raccoons get annoying really quickly! I tried talk radio in the firebox all night and that didn’t work. The exterminator suggested coyote urine on a paper towel dropped down the chimney. I just happened to have a bottle (don’t ask…) and did as he suggested. In the morning, mom and babes were long gone and didn’t return. Try the hunting supply section for your own bottle of coyote urine.
This worked very well for me. They would poop on my wooden steps which I laid rags on and poured on lots of ammonia. After a week of rewetting each night, they left. Kept the rags there. It’s been a year since their last visit.
I have a problem with the raccoons drinking water from our swimming pool. Is there an answer to that problem? They poop in the yard when they come to drink and my dog rolls in the poop.
We live in an area where raccoons and bears regularly get into our garbage. We used a bungee cord, but it was cumbersome and it got really dirty because the raccoons would just pull it to the side, etc. In addition, my wife would never take the garbage out because she didn’t want to deal with the bungee cord. I made a new latch, which my wife finds easy, quick, and clean to use. My neighbors like it as well. The raccoons do not. You can see more at the website Olly Lock. Be sure to see the video on the home page for a raccoon struggling to open our trash can.
Can’t find Olly Lock
I watched a young racoon trying to get into my garbage can. 10.20 pm i heard noises. Looked out the window and watched. Racoon could not get lip ooen, i use a ratchet hold down. Yeah! Now i have to teach my wife how to open it. Lol.
We have the bungee cords practically covering the top of the can. Ammonia is poured in each bag and sprayed on the outside and all around the top and sides of the can. What next?
Adjustable toggle clips from Amazon, installed with precise measuring to be sure both parts match (if you miss match critical human frustration developes) fitted on a metal can and lid set away from anything vertical that will help them climb up on top. Tall raccoons make the can taller with no toe holds.
I mean if you have tall raccooms make it impossible to get on top of the can.
I strapped the cover on the top of the barrel with strapping, nuts and bolts. Next night, I heard a commotion out back. I was shocked to see a huge raccoon stealing the barrel and headed to the woods. He was flipping the barrel end over end and headed “home”. Had to chase him away.
Please don’t use cayenne or flaked red pepper. Recall that it used to be added to bird food to deter squirrels from bird feeders. There have been reports of squirrels with eye damage when they picked up the seed to feed and the hot pepper was transferred to their eyes, effectively blinding them. Imagine it in your eyes!! I imagine that the same very likely happens to raccoons. I assume you just want to repel them, not hurt them. The National Pesticde Information Center nixes mothballs: “nearly 100% active ingredient, and the active ingredient may be either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Each active ingredient can cause different health effects if the exposure is high enough. Mothballs slowly turn from solids to toxic vapor. When you smell mothballs, you are inhaling the insecticide. Mothballs can also be dangerous if they are chewed or eaten. Children, pets and wildlife may mistake them for food or candy and eat them. One mothball can cause serious harm if eaten by a small child.” Just google mothball toxicity and get more sources for this information.
Our garbage can used to be in the ground. You had to step on a pedal to open it to dump your garbage. This was many years ago in Massachusetts. One night we heard a clanking sound. Turned back porch light on and low and behold there was a raccoon stepping on the pedal to garbage can which opened up and his/her little buddy was in the garbage can feasting. I’m assuming they were “taking turns”. Darnedest thing I’ve ever seen.
Seems that you are all trying to to hard ! Simple solution with the same issues of garbage cans, I drilled two holes in the front lid, thru the cover & can. Inserted two flat head roofing nails & walla- no more issues. I do have the cans in a small coral with the front open. Bunge cords- ? wow !
Walla??? ????????????
Simple, raccoon-proof solution: use an aluminum trash can; place 2-3 pieces of newspaper across the opening. Wedge the top on and there’s no way they can get it off!
I had my own method, which admittedly isn’t for everyone. I threw the actual food trash on the ground in front of the cans, and the non-food in the cans. Worked like a charm! They cleaned up all the food trash and left the cans alone. Kind of an informal contract between me and the critters. I try to find ways to co-exist, because trying to outsmart them generally ends with frustration and feeling like they are smarter than I am. 🙁
I live in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee Raccoons and Bears educated me what not to do. #1 never leave food or food scraps outside near your house, I would suggest the farther away from your house the better like maybe a 100 yards or more. I have a garage with 2 overhead doors and cat doors in both of them and used to leave food there for the cats which didn’t work very well so I tried the radio trick but eventually, the Raccoons became accustomed to the sound of the radio. I have to keep my garbage can in the garage with a chain holding the lid to keep them out. I have come to realize that there is a price to pay to have the opportunity to live in the mountains but the price outweighs the pleasure in my opinion.
You’ve got to hit the raccoons from all angles – one amazing lid strap is the Strong Strap find it at blazerbrand.com – a high-quality solution that works on every can.
Critter Clip is an easily attached device that will secure any hinged lid trash can. The Critter Clip will secure your lid against raccoons, wind or pets.
Gotta buy a Lid Loc. Keeps trash secure and wildlife out. Loc Em Out with Lid Loc.
Would placing a plastic bag of used kitty litter on top of the garbage can (kinda like ammonia) be a deterrent?
These are all good things to try but my racoons are eating the birdseed and taking the suet feeder with them! I don’t want to deter the birds as some eat off ground; any suggestions? Thanks
We just feed them Walmart Cheap Ol Roy dog food in a pile next to the driveway, and they leave everything alone. They are very neat while eating, and birds Like it if some is left…This is their home
and they were here before us!
We have been successfully decoying the raccoons with limited food for 30 years. Plus, my frugal, farming mother in law wasted nothing and encouraged all her daughters to rinse and scrape all food containers into a scrap bowl set out daily for wildlife. Since no compostables go into the trash cans the 40+ racoons Do Not touch our trash cans, continue to support themselves by foraging the other 6 days of the week, “melt” into the surrounding area at the first sign of humanity, and remain wild and free. If I should see a bear or alligator…in my openion they can have anything they want.
S
Go to a restaurant supply and buy the biggest can of cayenne pepper you can find. It’s really inexpensive. As you throw out your garbage each day, give it a generous sprinkling. We had problems every night. Racoons are clever and strong and steel cans with tightlids are no deterent. The first night I tried the cayenne, I heard the garbage can lid rattle about 1 AM. The next ting I heard was what I can only describe as an alien sound. The next morning I examined the garbage can. The trash was flattened down, but untouched. A trail of red powder led straight down to the creek behind my house. That was about 10 years ago and we never had an incident since. It is also effective against dogs and cats, and I can leave my trash out in just a bag on garbage day without worry. Cayenne, by the way, is the active ingredient in many animal repelents made for this purpose. They just cost a lot more.
Tie can up to railing so it won’t be knocked down for easy access. And tie up the lid to the can. Pour ammonia to the can everytime you throw out the garbage.
Leaving food out to draw raccoons away from your trash cans encourages raccoons to remain in the area rather than search elsewhere for food. This reinforces their lack of fear of man. Just like leaving dog and cat food out can encourage coyotes to kill cats and small dogs and eat them. Another example is deer loosing its fear of man. The doe will leave a tiny fawn alone to go feed or draw a predator away from the fawn. A well meaning individual will see this fawn and assume it has been abandoned. He/she will take it home and raise it. In the process this buck or doe will loose its fear of man. There have been incidents where a hand raised buck has gored a person. The shapes of the doe’s hooves are such that she can puncture a person’s chest with a kick. Every year individuals are killed by deer as a result of hitting one with an automobile or the situations described above. Raccoon’s nickname is “little bear” for a reason. In many cases if a dogs attacks a raccoon the raccoon will be the victor. Raccoons and “nice kitty’s (skunks) can carry rabies. Feeding birds can be a problem. In cases where the birds depend on this food and the person stops feeding them. These birds can die during migration because they don’t have enough stored reserves.
Your wife is probably smart enough not to learn how to open and sadly you will be have to take out trash.
I like how you mentioned tying a bungee cord from each handle so they don’t get in the garbage. I’ve had raccoons go through my garbage can for the last week and I’ve had enough. It’s probably a smart idea to call a professional to trap them and permanently get rid of them from my house.
We keep our trash barrels in a wooden trash bin enclosure with no top on it so you can hinged top of barrel. We have raccoons and bears. I double bag my trash. Freeze shrimp shells etc until trash day. I put. MR Beam Battery operated motion light over the trash enclosure and in the live oak, around the house. Batteries last a year or more depending on use. All the neighbors trash is everywhere bears nor racoons ever get in mine. Bear den was next to my house one year and still didn’t.
I too didn’t buy anything during prime days. I looked at some items on my wishlist and they were not discounted. I looked at some of the discounted items and realized I didn’t NEED any of them. So I quit looking. For our kitchen garbage we have a slightly larger plastic can that doesn’t have a lid. It makes it much easier to throw garbage in it. We have no pets, so we don’t have to worry about animals getting into it.
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We usually have just one 13 gallon bag full a week for our family of 3.
I put a heavy clamp on my garbage can lid. Then put an outside motion detector camera viewing the trash can. The racoon got on top of our Recycle Bin, pulled the lid of the Trash Bin until the clamp popped off. Got to give the little guys credit, they are intelligent and focused.
We have grapevines growing over the deck/pergola in the back yard. Those raccoons and possums have had a feast! Their filthy mess of leaves and grapes all over the deck, got old fast tho… not to mention we got NO GRAPES !!!
We hired a trapper to get rid of 6 of them one summer. The next year my husband used sheet metal stove pipes to cover the rough cedar pergola posts that we’ve seem them climb up ..this worked great ..until it didn’t. My husband finally just cut down all the bunches of grapes and now ( even tho there are no grapes) I see filthy paw/claw prints going up the siding and even across my kitchen window! It’s like the aliens have landed! Does anyone have the answer??? We live in a city… so no shotguns.
Trying many of the methods submitted by readers in regard to raccoon deterrents, I finally decided on the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” method. I moved the big bags of dry cat food into the dining room which we seldom use any more. Then I put small bowls of dry cat food by the back door and garage. The raccoons are fearless, look in the glass door at me watching TV, and continue to eat. I wave, they pay no attention and continue to eat. The trash and recycling are in three huge plastic bins on wheels provided by San Antonio and are totally ignored by the raccoons. Problem solved; all is well.