Using bungee cords to keep your trash cart lid shut seems like a quick and easy fix for wind or neighborhood pests, but it poses serious safety risks to you, your family, and sanitation workers and can damage collection equipment.  We started Trash Lockers after we had black bears getting into our trash carts during the middle of the day.  We needed to find an alternative to bungee cords because I had a severe eye injury from a bungee cord a couple of years before the bears came visiting.  Two things my ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) said he and his colleagues do not allow in their homes because of the eye injuries: bungee cords and BB guns!!

• Severe Injuries to You, Your Family and Sanitation Workers: Bungee cords store a lot of tension. If a cord slips or snaps back while a worker is removing it—or while the bin is being lifted—it can cause deep lacerations or severe eye injuries. Public works departments across the country have reported real-world injuries, including severe eye damage from snapping cords.    When a stretched bungee cord releases unexpectedly, the recoil velocity can exceed 200 miles per hour, delivering intense blunt or penetrating force to the eye area.
• Machinery Jamming and Breakdowns: Cords, ropes, and rubber ties frequently get caught in the mechanical arms or compacting machinery of garbage trucks. This causes expensive equipment damage, operational delays, and hazards for the crew trying to clear the jammed machinery.
• Hook Hazards: The metal or plastic hooks on bungee cords can snag a worker's clothing or skin. Because the cord is under stretch, a snag can forcefully tether or pull an operative toward the bin or the back of a moving lorry.
• Missed Collection: Many waste management authorities and municipal sanitation departments have a strict policy: if a bin has a bungee cord or rope attached to it on collection day, they will not empty it. Leaving them attached means your trash stays on the curb.