Citibin crew members install a new bear-proof trash enclosure at a home on Hyman Avenue on Friday. Citibin is a New York-based company that creates trash enclosures meant to keep bears out and add curb appeal. 

Citibin crew members install a new bear-proof trash enclosure at a home on Hyman Avenue on Friday. Citibin is a New York-based company that creates trash enclosures meant to keep bears out and add curb appeal. 

A new kind of bear-proof trash enclosure is coming to Aspen — one that will make all the other trash cans jealous.

The company that manufactures the enclosures is called Citibin, a female-owned small business based out of Brooklyn, New York. The bins are meant to keep out pesky rats — or in Aspen’s case, pesky bears — all while adding curb appeal. Trash has never looked so stylish, as founder Liz Reisch Picarazzi likes to say.

“We make trash enclosures that have primarily been for keeping rats out, but we’ve long had requests from people on the West Coast to make them bear-proof,” Picarazzi said. “Our bin is really for the type of home that wants the facade to look good. They don’t want a dumpster in front of their home.”

As part of an effort to expand westward, Picarazzi and two of her six team members traveled to Aspen last week to install the first few Citibins in the city. The Park Central West Homeowners Association, which is located on Hyman Avenue, purchased six bins after searching for an alternative to the heavy, aesthetically unappealing green dumpsters in their alleyway. Like the rest of Aspen, they also wanted something that would keep bears out.

“There are a lot of trash enclosures on the market, but there aren’t that many that look good and can keep out bears and rats,” Picarazzi said. “That is why I think it’s good for Aspen.”

She added that Citibin sells about 60% of its ­products to individual homeowners and the other 40% goes to groups like HOAs.

The enclosures can each hold two 96-gallon plastic trash cans, which are easier for trash collectors to haul than metal dumpsters. They can also be covered and locked with a padlock to keep animals out, and can be fitted into spaces off of walkways.

The bins also seem to be arriving in Aspen at the perfect time. According to the Aspen Police Department’s 2021 Year in Review report, bear sightings increased last summer as natural food sources dwindled. In 2020, APD responded to 533 animal calls, compared to 844 in 2021, including 314 bear and wildlife sightings.

The city of Aspen requires residents to keep their trash enclosed and away from bears by ordinance. While APD was unaware of Citibin’s products, Officer Ginna Gordon said that anytime people take a step to keep bears out of trash, she’s fully supportive.

APD has not responded to any bear sightings yet in 2022, and the last time a bear was seen in town was Dec. 20, Gordon said. By then, bears are normally in hibernation, but this winter several things kept bears awake late.

“Many factors can influence torpor for a bear,” Gordon said. “Torpor is a lighter form of sleep than hibernation. This means that a bear can wake from torpor relatively quickly if needed. Additionally, torpor is induced by a lack of food availability.”

Bears can be expected to revisit town later this year, and trash will need to be properly stored.

Enclosures from Citibin like the ones installed on Friday are available for purchase for $6,605. Citibin can be found online at citibin.com or on Instagram @citibin.

“Ours is just a really attractive, modern alternative to something that people haven’t thought about the design of,” Picarazzi said. “We’re really excited to expand more to the West.”

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