There are some new steps being taken in several New Jersey towns to prevent bear encounters as black bears are emerging this time of year.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says they’ve secured a contract with a company that will provide nearly 3,000 certified bear-resistant residential trash cans for distribution in Sparta, West Milford, Jefferson, Rockaway, Hardyston and Hampton.
MORE: Multiple bear sightings reported in Park Ridge, police say
According to the NJDEP, those are six municipalities with elevated numbers of bear incident reports.
The NJDEP hopes to get the bear resistant trash cans to residents by the end of the month. It’s unclear how exactly the distribution is going to work.
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