The city of Durango has lower waste collection fines than many other municipalities in Southwest Colorado, and bear encounters in the city are surging. City Council members wonder if raising the former would lower the latter.
Councilor Kip Koso said at a study session earlier this month there were 290 bear and trash reports through city code enforcement. He referenced school “lockdowns” because of black bears last fall – of which one, he said, led to a bear’s euthanization – and noted the warm winter and earlier than usual bear activity.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman John Livingston told The Durango Herald on Friday no bears on school campuses in Durango were euthanized last fall or throughout 2025.
Area wildlife officials and bear experts pointed to drought conditions and a lack of natural foods – combined with poorly managed trash containers in city limits – to the increase in bear encounters last year.
Koso suggested an interdepartmental effort – park rangers partnering with trash and recycling – to tackle the bear problem through education and enforcement.
“We can better educate homeowners on proper trash management and decrease the number of times trash is the cause of the death of a bear or a bear becomes a potential threat to residents,” he said.
He said higher overfill fees for containers stuffed too high to close their lids is an appropriate way to incentivize and enforce proper garbage disposal.
The city has a $20.51 residential rate with a $12.81 overfill fee and a $21.76 commercial rate with no overfill fee, said Public Works director John Harris.
Cortez, for example, has a $29.75 fee rate for residential and commercial trash service and $25 overfill fees. Ridgway has a $27.87 residential rate and a $14.05 overfill fee with no commercial rates or fees.
Mayor Gilda Yazzie and Councilor Shirley Gonzales appeared to agree with Koso’s proposed approach.
Yazzie said the city recently approved permits for electric fences and bear “unwelcome” mats, and ramping up enforcement of poorly maintained garbage would be in line with those actions.
She also suggested that deterring bears requires a communitywide effort.
“We are going into a drought cycle, and the bears are coming out of the mountains to eat in town,” she said. “So we should address it because it’s going to be the same issue next year.”
Harris said the city adopted an ordinance establishing a framework for fees in cases of mismanaged garbage. Currently, trash and recycling crews don’t scout for violations, but note them when they see them or are called in by concerned neighbors.
According to the city’s wildlife and garbage policies, failure to clear scattered trash within 24 hours is a violation and can result in escalating penalties.
A first violation results in the delivery of a wildlife-resistant trash container to a property for a one-time delivery fee of $100 and a $4.35 monthly fee for a period of four and a half years.
A second violation results in a $100 fine. All subsequent violations result in fines of $200.
The city advises residents to report trash violations to code enforcement at 375-4930. Bear sightings and conflicts can be reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 247-0855.
cburney@durangoherald.com
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated a bear that caused a lockdown at a school in Durango was euthanized. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman John Livingston said no bear on a school campus in Durango was euthanized in 2025. The article also misspelled the town of Ridgway’s name.
