WATCH: How to monkey proof your bin

Part-time inventor and full-time husband and grandpa, Piet Steenkamp has come up with a simple solution for an everyday problem on the Dolphin Coast.

“I used to see bins with rocks on the lids and ugly straps tied on to try keep the monkeys from digging about in the trash.

“I always think there is a better way to do things, so I came up with a plan – a monkey proof bin clip,” said Steenkamp, who retired from his special investigations job with Stannic in 1998, moved to a game farm in Hoedspruit, Limpopo and then joined his children in Ballito in 2003.

“Monkeys cannot resist opening a bin. It is like an all-you-can-eat takeaway for them. My bin clip is a permanent fixture that is easy to install on the lid and does not damage the bin. It keeps the lid securely closed and you can open it with a lift of a finger,” said the hobby handyman and keen conservationist who is a supervisor at Zimbali.

“Growing up on a farm, when something breaks you need to fix it yourself. My dad used to say everything we buy in a shop was made by someone, so we can make it too – ‘n boer maak ‘n plan.”

He said he hopes that this bin clip will help keep the environment clean and eliminate the temptation for monkeys to scavenge in waste, which often also leads to them being injured as people try to chase them away.

Also keep an eye out for Steenkamp’s clever furniture creations, which have been featured in The Home Handyman magazine a couple of times.

Contact Piet on 082 689 9746.

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