How to Keep Raccoons From Chewing on Plastic Garbage Can Lids

For the most part raccoons prefer to live their lives in the wild, but the ever encroaching human presence has caused these otherwise solitary animals to search for food in many people's backyards, that includes garbage cans. If you are having trouble keeping raccoons away from your plastic garbage cans, there are safe ways them away from your cans without harming these beautiful creatures.

Things You'll Need

• Ammonia
• Petroleum jelly
• Red pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Epsom salt
• Peppermint oil
• Piece of cloth
• Ultrasonic deterrent device

Instructions

1. Pour one cup of ammonia over the top of the garbage can lid. The smell and taste of the ammonia will repel the raccoons. Do this for one week, but make sure to wash the can before it is picked up by the waste management staff.

2. Cover the lids with a combination of petroleum jelly and red or cayenne pepper. The jelly will make the lid slippery and the cayenne or red pepper will be offensive to the raccoon's taste buds.

3. Do not feed the raccoons. They will think of your home as a reliable foods source, and this will bring them back to your house, and your garbage cans.

4. Cover the garbage can lid with Epsom salt. The raccoons will not enjoy the salt taste.

5. Place a few drops of peppermint oil onto the lid and the area around the garbage can. You can also cover a piece of cloth with the oil and hang it from a post or tree that is near the garbage can.

6. Place an ultrasonic deterrent device near the trash bin. The high pitched frequency emitted by this device will keep raccoons at bay.

References

• Willowbrook Wildlife
• Bug out pest control