Brown bears in the National Zoo in Bojnice are taking part in what is probably the longest testing of waste bins and containers in the world. While normally the animals have hours to test the durability of the containers and bins, our bears have the bins at their disposal for several days.

This type of testing and its results are especially important in the context of the relationship between humans and bears in the wild. “We were approached by Mr. Voronič from a company which is developing a system that would be easy to use for tourists and which will be bear-proof at the same time,” said Andrea Klasová, Head of the Marketing Department at the National Zoo in Bojnice. It is important for Maroš Voronič of Illegal Technologies, s.r.o., a company that develops, inter alia, special prototypes of waste containers, that such testing is carried out in controlled conditions. “It is not possible to capture all situations occurring in nature or on the streets, although they do happen. It is not possible technically,” explained Maroš Voronič, who has been developing these waste bins since 2017.

The longest test

The bears in Bojnice Zoo have been testing the bins since 2022. “I think the current tests which are being carried out in the Bojnice Zoo are among the longest tests in the world. Usually, such tests last several hours while, for example, here the trail bin was being tested for several months,” said Maroš Voronič. Brown bears from the National Zoo test the bins for several days. “They have much more time to try to overcome any structure or barrier. So far, they have been very successful,” concluded Andrea Klasová. Maroš Voronič, who has experience with similar testing activities in other places, has also described the bears in Bojnice as “the most clever and lively”. In his work, the results of these stress tests are very useful.

Why is it important to test waste bins and containers?

According to the Waste Act, 360 municipalities in Slovakia are required to secure their waste from access by brown bears. However, the law does not specify the form or way in which they should comply with the law. Companies developing the containers are therefore approaching, among others, also the Brown Bear Intervention Team in this matter. “The priority is to prevent the bears having access to municipal waste. That’s why such testing is important. Resistance of the container will be shown during its usage in practice. Another interesting element which we can monitor is the intelligence of the bears,” says Jaroslav Slašťan from the Brown Bear Intervention Team.

Watch a video recording of the bin testing by bears here: