Denville is now taking sign-ups for the free bear-resistant garbage cans the township secured through a state grant, and residents have less than three weeks to apply.
The Township of Denville received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Office of Sustainable Waste Management for 525 bear-resistant 32-gallon garbage cans. Applications opened this week and close at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. The township says there are no exceptions to that cutoff.
Eligibility this year is limited to properties north of Route 46. That area covers Cedar Lake, Rock Ridge, Lake Arrowhead and the neighborhoods off Kitchell Road, Old Boonton Road and Diamond Spring Road. The township focused its application on those neighborhoods because the grant was competitive and awarded based on reported bear incidents, and those areas had the highest levels of bear activity in town.
Filling out the form does not guarantee a can. If eligible applications outnumber the 525 cans available, recipients will be chosen through a random computerized drawing. Only one can is allowed per residential property.
Applicants must provide a working email address, since notification and pick-up instructions go out by email. Anyone selected also has to agree to take part in periodic surveys from the state Office of Sustainable Waste Management, and to show identification or proof of residence in an eligible neighborhood before collecting a can.
The township says it recognizes bear activity in other Denville neighborhoods and intends to apply for additional grants in future years to cover more of the town.
Denville also reminds residents to put garbage out the morning of collection rather than the night before, to keep regular containers secured indoors until pickup, and to rinse containers regularly to cut down on odors that draw bears.
Full eligibility rules and the online application are posted on the township’s Bear-Resistant Trash Container Program page.
The Aug. 26 deadline falls on the same day Denville’s extended property tax grace period ends, so residents in eligible neighborhoods should keep both dates in mind.
Image courtesy of the Township of Denville
