I have witnessed two possibilities: got up early one day and saw a woman hop out of a vehicle and slice open my white trash bag and start to pick through it. Came out and confronted her, and she got in her car and left.

Then this morning sitting on my front porch I noticed a crow approach my neighbors trash bag and start pecking at it. I shooed it away.

Trash or Treasure
 

If the bags are being cut open, the thief is looking for personal information for the purpose of identity theft. I would NEVER throw away any personal information in the trash. Buy a crosscut micro shredder, no other type will provide you with better protection. Shred all personal information correspondence. Also I would lock my credit records down with all three credit companies.
Then keep an eye on your credit. You can get a free credit report once a year from each company. The three credit bureaus are, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

I and a neighbor in Rio Ponderosa had some animal break open the bags on separate days in same week.

Far as trash, we actually have more than one pick up company operating in The Villages.
I think if you put your trash in a garbage can they would dump it ALL into the truck, can and all.

Personal information in your trash, we shred it all-no big deal, easy to do.

Animals also simple. Mothballs, bleach, ammonia all work
A gun? That is simply STUPID.

Sadly, sane posts are rare. First you need to wonder about what you are dealing with to find the solution. Those game cameras are tripped by movement or sound. In the villages I expect you will capture a lot of interesting stuff-snakes, bunnies, cats, dogs, cayotes, agitator's.

Re: confronting some woman.
Frankly that could have ended badly. Sliced open your trash bag-she was armed.
Why she picked your trash? Looking for garage sale left overs-perhaps?

Many people in my neighborhood near Spanish Springs use black garbage cans to hold their bags of garbage. The collectors don’t take the cans.

Depends where you live.

For most:
How do I dispose of household waste, recyclables and yard waste?
• All household waste should be placed in standard dark, sealed 20-30 gallon trash bags.
Each bag should weigh no more than forty (40) pounds.
• Trash bags should be placed together at the end of your driveway.
• No garbage cans/bins are allowed – they will be disposed of with household trash.
• Yard waste should be bundled, tied and placed at the end of your driveway.
• Tree limbs and branches may not exceed four (4) feet in length. Lawn clippings and
similar yard waste should be placed in biodegradable bags.

Switched from white bags to black on suggestion from trash company back in Illinois. Crow problem ended. Seems to work here too.

Never heard that...............good to know.

I started this thread simply to find out if anyone else was having trouble with their trash, the discussion that followed has been very interesting.

Someone wants me to sit in my car in the driveway and surprise the trash visitor - well that is not going to happen. :)

Trash cans - not allowed in my area of TV. Wish they were though, maybe start a peition. :coolsmiley:

Animals with sharp claws - I did have an animal get into the trash one night and dragged it all around my yard. Now I actually keep everything ithat would attract an animal wrapped in the freezer and it goes out frozen early in the morning.

Animals sharp claws do not make a straight line slash in a heavy duty black plastic bag. Crows peck away at a bag until they get it open enough to scavange.

I will admit to actually washing out fish and shrimp wrappers in the hopes of getting rid of the smell which would attract animals. :shocked:

Maybe I should try putting a set rat trap in the bag which looks most inviting.

I do shred all personal documents, so unless they want to sit for hours to piece everything back together, that should work.

The video camera and the cameras used in the woods sound excellent, but rather too much trouble for me.

So, hey ho, I guess I will get up early to put out my trash. :ohdear:

Fake news?

Try sprinkling a heavy dose of pepper. Awhile ago we had a similar problem at our home in Calumet Grove, my late wife sprinkled generous amounts of ground pepper, this appeared to deter the critters. After a a couple of applications the problem ended. It’s worth a try.

We do the same. Keeps people away too. Also triple bag. Never any problems .

Spray bags with Clorox/water mix, keeps animals away. Keep mixture in spray bottle in garage.