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Outdoor Trash Cans

The best raccoon-proof trash cans

Raccoons are better at this than you are. They open a can by putting their weight on the rim and levering, which is exactly what a tensioned strap defeats.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed September 27, 2026

Raccoon in a yard at night

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The short answer

Buy a tensioned strap for the can you already own before you buy anything else. It defeats the exact technique raccoons use, it costs a fraction of a new can, and if it works you are done.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Bungee-style lid lock strap fitted across a trash can
Encased Trash Can Lock, Bungee Cord (30-55 gallon cans)A tensioned nylon bungee that holds the lid down on a can you already own, for a fraction of the cost of replacing it.
Best cheap raccoon fix
02
Two-wheel rolling outdoor trash cart at the curb
Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 GallonThe cart most municipalities issue, sold retail: rotationally molded, ten-year warranty, and a lid hinged to the body.
Best outdoor cart overall
03
Heavy duty rubber bungee strap for a garbage can lid
Blazer Brand Strong Strap Trash Can Bungee, 48 inA 48-inch strap built from materials chosen for weather: an EPDM rubber core, polycarbonate hooks and stainless fasteners.
Best built strap
04
Wicker-style resin outdoor trash container on a patio
Suncast Trash Hideaway Refuse Container, 33 GallonA latching-lid resin can with a wicker texture, for the deck or patio where a municipal cart would look wrong.
Best for patios and decks
05
Extra large bungee lid lock for a wheeled waste cart
Encased Extra Large Trash Can Lock (50-96 gallon cans)The long version, sized for the 64 and 96-gallon wheeled carts a standard strap will not reach around.
Best for wheeled carts
06
Bear-resistant wheeled garbage can with a locking lid
Bearicuda Stealth Bear-Resistant Curbside CanA genuinely bear-resistant wheeled can that has been through IGBC testing, in normal curbside sizes.
Best bear-resistant can

The reason this page opens with the cheapest product rather than the most expensive is that the cheapest product is genuinely the right first move for most households. The ranking above is ordered by what we would actually try, in order.

How a raccoon actually opens a can

Knowing the technique tells you which defenses are real and which are theater.

A raccoon climbs onto the rim, puts its weight on one side of the lid, and levers. It has genuinely dexterous front paws, it is patient, it will work at a problem for a long time, and it comes back. It will also simply tip a can over and pull the lid off from the side once the can is horizontal — which is why a heavy lid on a light can is not the defense it looks like.

DefenseWorks?Why
A loose lid resting on a rimNoIt is lifted off. This is the default state of most cans
A heavy lidNoWeight is what they use. They tip the can instead
An attached hinged lidPartlyRemoves the easy win, but can still be levered open
A latching lidMostlyA latch must be operated rather than lifted
A tensioned bungee strapYesDirectly defeats the lever-with-bodyweight method
A certified bear-resistant latchYesOverkill for raccoons, and expensive
Ammonia, mothballs, pepperNoWears off, washes away, and they habituate
Motion lights or a radioNoWorks for about a week. Urban raccoons habituate fast

The picks in full

Bungee-style lid lock strap fitted across a trash can

01 — Best cheap raccoon fix

Encased Trash Can Lock, Bungee Cord (30-55 gallon cans)

A tensioned nylon bungee that holds the lid down on a can you already own, for a fraction of the cost of replacing it.

Fits
30-55 gallon round or square cans
Material
Heavy-duty nylon bungee
Installation
No tools

Before you buy a new can, try the strap. A raccoon opens a bin by lifting the lid with its weight on the rim — a bungee under tension defeats that directly, and this one is sized for the 30-55 gallon cans most households have. It fits round or square bodies and needs no tools.

What we'd flag: you have to re-fit it every single time you use the can, and everyone in the household has to. One person who cannot be bothered undoes the whole thing.

Two-wheel rolling outdoor trash cart at the curb

02 — Best outdoor cart overall

Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 Gallon

The cart most municipalities issue, sold retail: rotationally molded, ten-year warranty, and a lid hinged to the body.

Capacity
64 gallons
Construction
Advanced rotational molding, one piece
Rim
Rugged Rim, reinforced
Base
Bottom wear strip
Wheels
Two
Warranty
10 years

Toter builds these with an advanced rotational molding process — one seamless piece with a reinforced Rugged Rim and a bottom wear strip, which is why they survive being dragged across concrete and tipped by an automated truck arm. The attached hinged lid is the security feature that matters most: a raccoon cannot knock a lid off a can when the lid is part of the can. The lower handle height also makes it easier to tilt than it looks.

What we'd flag: an attached hinged lid is not a locked lid. A determined raccoon can still lever it open, which is why this pairs with a strap rather than replacing one.

Heavy duty rubber bungee strap for a garbage can lid

03 — Best built strap

Blazer Brand Strong Strap Trash Can Bungee, 48 in

A 48-inch strap built from materials chosen for weather: an EPDM rubber core, polycarbonate hooks and stainless fasteners.

Length
48 inches
Fits
32-96 gallon cans
Core
EPDM rubber
Attachments
Polycarbonate with stainless steel fasteners
Installation
No tools

Ordinary bungees perish. The rubber goes chalky in UV, the hooks go brittle in frost, and the strap fails in about a season. This one specifies an EPDM core — the rubber used in roofing membranes — with polycarbonate attachments and stainless fasteners, and fits anything from 32 to 96 gallons. It is the strap to buy if the last one broke.

What we'd flag: it stops raccoons, squirrels and crows. It is not a bear product, and the manufacturer does not claim it is.

Wicker-style resin outdoor trash container on a patio

04 — Best for patios and decks

Suncast Trash Hideaway Refuse Container, 33 Gallon

A latching-lid resin can with a wicker texture, for the deck or patio where a municipal cart would look wrong.

Liner size
Standard 30-33 gallon liners
Exterior
17" W x 17" D x 31.5" H
Interior
14" W x 14" D x 26" H
Lid
Hinged, latching
Material
All-weather resin
Warranty
90 days general

The latch is the point: a hinged lid that clicks shut is a materially harder target for a raccoon than a lid resting on a rim. The wicker-style finish and the solid bottom panel mean it reads as outdoor furniture rather than refuse, which is why people will actually put it on a deck rather than hiding it down the side of the house. It assembles without tools.

What we'd flag: the general warranty is 90 days, which is very short for something living outdoors in UV and frost. Compare that against ten years on a Toter before you decide.

Extra large bungee lid lock for a wheeled waste cart

05 — Best for wheeled carts

Encased Extra Large Trash Can Lock (50-96 gallon cans)

The long version, sized for the 64 and 96-gallon wheeled carts a standard strap will not reach around.

Fits
50-96 gallon cans
Material
Heavy-duty nylon bungee
Installation
No tools

Municipal carts are the cans most likely to be raided, because they sit at the curb overnight with a hinged lid a raccoon can lever. This is the size that actually fits them, with the same no-tools fitting.

What we'd flag: check whether your hauler's automated arm can handle a strapped can. Some will not empty one, and a strap left on collection morning means a full cart for another week.

Bear-resistant wheeled garbage can with a locking lid

06 — Best bear-resistant can

Bearicuda Stealth Bear-Resistant Curbside Can

A genuinely bear-resistant wheeled can that has been through IGBC testing, in normal curbside sizes.

Sizes
30, 35, 50, 65, 95 gallon wheeled
Latch
Airtight-plus locking
Testing
IGBC tested

If you live in bear country, a strap is not the product — a tested latch is. Bearicuda's Stealth uses an airtight-plus locking mechanism and the range has been IGBC tested, which is the recognized standard wildlife agencies reference. It comes in 30, 35, 50, 65 and 95 gallon wheeled versions, so you can match whatever your hauler collects.

What we'd flag: it costs several times what an ordinary cart costs, and a bear-resistant latch is deliberately harder for you to open too. Check your local rules first — some jurisdictions mandate specific certified models, and some haulers will not service a latch they cannot operate.

The one thing that makes straps fail

Compliance. A strap is a perfect defense that has to be re-fitted every single time anybody in the household uses the can, and one person who cannot be bothered undoes it for everyone.

Two practical answers. Keep it permanently attached to the can rather than removing it — a bungee with hooks that stay on one side means the action is unclipping and re-clipping rather than fetching and fitting. And make the failure visible: if the can is where everyone walks past it, a dangling strap gets noticed and re-fitted.

If the household genuinely will not do it, the honest recommendation is a latching-lid can instead, where the closing action is part of closing the lid rather than a separate step. That is what you are paying for with the Suncast and with a certified latch.

Everything else that reduces raids

The can is half the problem. The other half is why the raccoon is interested at all, and these are all free.

  1. Put the can out on collection morning, not the night before. The single most effective change available. Raccoons forage at night; a can that appears at 6am and is emptied at 9am is barely exposed.
  2. Rinse the can after anything meat-based. Residue in the base is what carries on the air. A clean can is much less interesting. How to wash an outdoor cart.
  3. Bag meat and fish separately and tie them tightly. Reduces the smell that draws them from a distance.
  4. Secure the can so it cannot be tipped. A bungee to a fence post or a wall bracket removes the tip-it-over route entirely, and it is as cheap as the lid strap.
  5. Keep the can in an enclosure or a garage between collections. Removes access rather than defending against it. Enclosures compared · garage cans have their own odor problem.
  6. Do not leave pet food outside. It is the reason a raccoon started visiting in the first place, in a surprising number of cases.

If it is not raccoons

Different animals need different answers, and buying the wrong one is the commonest waste of money here.

  • Crows and squirrels are defeated by any lid that actually stays on. An attached hinged lid is enough; you do not need a strap.
  • Dogs — yours or a neighbor's — tip the can rather than levering it. Secure the can itself, not just the lid.
  • Bears do not lever, they crush and tear, and nothing sold as raccoon-proof will stop one. That needs a certified container and a change of routine. The bear page.
  • Rats get in through gaps rather than the lid. Look at the base of the can and whether it is sitting on soft ground.

Common questions

What is the best raccoon-proof trash can?

A rotationally molded cart with an attached hinged lid plus a tensioned strap. But try a strap on the can you already own first — it defeats the same technique for a fraction of the cost of a new can.

Do trash can straps really stop raccoons?

Yes, when they are actually fitted. A tensioned bungee defeats the lever-with-bodyweight method raccoons use. The failure mode is human — one person in the household who does not re-fit it.

Will ammonia or mothballs keep raccoons out of the trash?

No. Repellents wash off, wear off, and raccoons that live near people habituate to them quickly. Physical barriers work; deterrents do not.

How do I stop raccoons tipping my trash can over?

Secure the can itself, not just the lid — a bungee to a fence post or a wall bracket. A raccoon that cannot lever the lid will often simply tip the can and open it from the side.

Does a heavy lid keep raccoons out?

No. Weight is what they use — they climb onto the rim and lever. A heavy lid on a light can just makes it easier to tip the whole thing over.

Will a raccoon-proof can stop bears?

No. Bears crush and tear rather than levering, and nothing sold as raccoon-proof is rated for them. Bear country needs a certified bear-resistant container. More here.

Sources

Every specification on this page traces to one of these, checked at the time of writing. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, the page says so rather than estimating it.

Read next

The author

Ryder M.

Owner and editor of Lid & Liner, published by Magoo Media Group. He started the site after getting tired of the same problem everyone has: every “best trash can” article covers ten products and none of them tells you whether a 13-gallon bag actually fits a 13-gallon can. Lid & Liner covers one category and tries to cover it completely.

Last reviewed September 27, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.