When you stroll down the alleys of The Hill—the student-neighbourhood beside University of Colorado Boulder—you might assume the littered bin scene is the work of careless students. But in fact, a very different culprit has been making the mess: bears.
Student Encounters with Wildlife
Junior student Jake Siemsen found out just how real this problem is when he took out the trash and noticed signs of a furry intruder. He said:
“If you come out here at night, there’s probably going to be a bear walking around at some point.”
He reported that one evening the bear rummaging through the garbage broke a pane in a window—a cost he and his roommates had to cover.
His complaint doesn’t stop at damaged glass. He also points to shredded window-screens and scattered rubbish.
“When the bears come through and mess up our trash, we get tickets from the city,” he added. “It’s kind of inconvenient that we can’t really tell the bears not to come.”
A Push for Bear-Safe Waste Management
Enter Brenda Lee, founder of the Boulder Bear Coalition and the Colorado Bear Coalition. Lee visited the same alleys and took note of overflowing bins and unsecured trash. She emphasised that local law requires trash to be stored in bear-resistant containers and locked.
“It breaks my heart, because this is basically putting out a golden platter,” Lee said of the accessible garbage.
Around the alley she pointed out broken bins and even spotted one in a nearby creek—clear signs of wildlife access.
Lee’s motivation stems from a tragic incident:
“I started doing this work … because a bear was killed in my neighbourhood, and everyone was angry at the agency … for killing the bear, and I started asking… why is the bear here?”
Funding to Improve Trash Storage
Thanks to more than US $50,000 in grant money from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the coalition is installing sturdier trash-storage sheds in the community—built to keep bears away.
Landlords in the area are getting involved too. Local property owner Mike Stengel uses trash sheds on all his properties and encourages other landlords to follow suit.
“I think there needs to be investment from the land-owner standpoint to set the kids up for success,” he said.
The Bigger Goal: Clean & Safe Streets
For Lee, the mission goes beyond tidy alleys: it’s about protecting both humans and animals.
“Bears don’t deserve to die. Because we’re being irresponsible, and now that I know we can do things, it’s irresponsible not to do it,” Lee declared.
If you’re a renter or landlord dealing with malfunctioning bear-resistant bins—or simply want access to deterrent resources—the Colorado Bear Coalition offers support. Lee says she can help find affordable solutions for secure trash management.
What looks like student mayhem around The Hill is actually a wildlife problem—with bears raiding unsecured bins and creating chaos.
Thanks to the efforts of community activists, grants for toughened trash storage, and landlords taking responsibility, this neighbourhood is working toward a smarter, safer future.
Proper waste storage isn’t just about keeping things clean—it’s about preventing bear visits, avoiding damage and fines, and fostering co-existence in a shared space.
