The New York City Council is embracing a new strategy in an effort to rid the city of its rat problem — and it may change the way residents toss away their trash.
With rat complaints soaring this year, City Council passed a new plan meant to get rid of the pests and deal with the city’s infamous trash problems. The idea: Get rid of the trash, get rid of the rats.
In a Thursday vote that passed with little opposition, officials believe the four rodent-related bills may be the solution. The council voted to mandate that NYC create formal rat mitigation zones and report the progress that is made. That way they hope to identify down the line if the city is any cleaner.
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Another bill requires buildings with repeat rodent infestations to put their trash in containers. Also, construction crews would need to exterminate in order to get permits.
"A lot of people think this would already be the law but it's not. So today we're making it," said Councilman Erik Bottcher.
Currently, New Yorkers can put their trash in the curb at 4 p.m. — but in some communities, that means on most days it will sit there for more than 13 hours before it is collected. Mayor Eric Adams' proposal would push the time to put out the trash to 8 p.m. Anyone looking to dispose of it earlier would need to put it in a trash can.
Then, the Department of Sanitation crews would aim to pick up 25 percent of the city's trash during the midnight shift.
"We are moving to the cleanest city in America. That’s our goal," Adams said earlier in October. He also previously said he wants the Dept. of Sanitation rules to change no later than April. His plans are separate from the measures passed by the city council on Thursday.
Still, his is bold prediction in a city where rats are so common place. These plans offer a starting point to tackle not only the city's mega heaps of trash, but also the mega heap of rat complaints.
"New Yorkers are tired of our city being dirty, our streets being dirty. We're tired of the mountains of trash," said Councilwoman Sandy Nurse.
"This is going to be a critical step but it's not the end-all, be-all. We are establishing rat mitigations over time, wherever you see the amount of time that garbage sits out on our streets, which we believe will have an impact on the ability of rats to feed on," said Councilman Shaun Abreu.
