Protecting and Hiding Your Garbage Bin

If you've got possums digging in your business's skip bin hire in the evening, you may return to work in the morning to find rubbish all over the place. Luckily, there are ways to deter these little nocturnal creatures from creating unsightly messes. In particular, these five things can help:

1. Padlock 

If your skip is lockable, make sure that you close and lock it each night. Typically, a lockable skip has a little ring on the lid that lines up with a little ring on the side of the skip when its lid is closed. To lock it, simply slip a padlock between these rings. If your skip doesn't have a lock, talk with the skip company about replacing your skip with a lockable one.

2. Tow Straps

Alternatively, you can create your own makeshift lock using tow straps. Simply run one side of the tow strap under the bottom of the skip, along the side and over the lid. Bring the second side of the tow strap up to meet the first side, and join the two ends together using the straps' hooks or whatever connection mechanism they have. This is a bit cumbersome, but it makes it impossible for possums to get the bin open.

3. Ammonia

Locks work well, but odours can also be a useful deterrent when trying to keep possums away. Keep a container of ammonia outside near your skip and splash a bit of it inside the bin every time you throw in a bag of rubbish. The harsh odour helps to keep possums and other creatures away. If you don't like using ammonia because the odours bother you as well, consider sprinkling a bit of hot pepper powder inside and around your skip.

4. Lights

As nocturnal creatures, possums don't necessarily like light. To detract them, wrap some twinkly lights around your skip and plug them in at the end of the day when you leave your business. Ideally, opt for garish, bright, blinking lights as they will have the biggest effect.

5. Motion-Detector Sprinkler

A blast of water can also be helpful for scaring possums. If you have a way to bring a hosepipe over to your skip, do that and attach a motion-detecting sprinkler to it. That way when the possum approaches, it will be hit with a blast of water. Just make sure to turn off the water before your staff uses the skip or before the rubbish collectors come to empty it.