The best raccoon-proof trash cans

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.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	Encased Trash Can Lock, Bungee Cord (30-50 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	$16.99 · View on Amazon $19.99 · 15% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
02	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	$168.00 · View on Amazon $186.65 · 10% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
03	Blazer Brand Strong Strap Lid Lock KitA 48-inch strap built from materials chosen for weather: an EPDM rubber core, polycarbonate hooks and stainless fasteners.	Best built strap	$34.95 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
04	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	$64.99 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
05	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	$19.99 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
06	ANKS Bear and Raccoon Proof Trash Can LockA hooked strap that clamps a lid to a rim on anything from a 28-gallon can to a 96-gallon cart, for the price of a takeaway.	Best retrofit for a can you own	$9.49 · View on Amazon $16.99 · 44% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

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.

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. A bear is a different animal and a different problem, and nothing on this page solves it: bear-resistant containers are ranked separately.

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.

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.

Different animals need different answers, and buying the wrong one is the commonest waste of money here. A strap over the lid is the cheapest fix for a can you own, but if you are buying a new container the latch can be built in. The best trash cans with locking lids ranks those by what the lock actually resists - wind, dogs, raccoons or bears - because the box says the same two words either way.

• 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.