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NYC Will Spend $32 Million To Expand War On Rats
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jul 12, 2017
Modified Jul 12, 2017
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jul 12, 2017
Modified Jul 12, 2017
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New Yorkers and rats have been living side-by-side since Peter Minuet rode into New Amsterdam on the back of one, but it appears some New Yorkers don't enjoy engaging in constant battle with rodents while, say, taking out the trash, or sleeping. Today Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $32 million escalation in the war on rats, which aims to reduce rat populations in the rodent-heavy Grand Concourse section of the Bronx, Chinatown/Lower East Side/East Village in Manhattan, and Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. De Blasio says he hopes the carnage will engulf 70 percent of rat populations in these neighborhoods. Sorry Zardulu, all your friends will probably die.
The plan will employ a number of measures in an effort to mitigate rat populations. First, the city plans to purchase 336 new trash receptacles with "mail-box" openings so rats can't get into them, and all wire trash cans in those neighborhoods will be swapped out for big belly steel cans. The city will also increase trash pickup in the targeted zones, and the Department of Sanitation will pick up trash in city parks on a daily basis. And the plan includes the proposal of a local law requiring buildings with more than 10 units in those neighborhoods to curb their trash after 4 a.m. on trash collection days to minimize rat buffets, though even that won't faze the toughest rodent.
The city also intends to replace the basement flooring in some NYCHA buildings with concrete "rat pads" to make spaces less hospitable for rats, since in the Year 2017, some of these buildings still have DIRT basements, plus they'll invest in new NYCHA trash compactors. The Health Department will work with the Department of Buildings, Sanitation Department, and Housing and Preservation Department to inspect private buildings in rat-heavy zones and force landlords to make repairs and necessary exterminations, and Sanitation will embark on an illegal dumping enforcement blitz at certain NYCHA facilities. The city also plans to work with City Council to come up with new and improved rat-mitigating laws, which will include enrolling certain buildings into organics collection and curbing trash.
At a press conference today, the Mayor showed off the new trash cans, doled out some fun facts about rats (they only need to eat an ounce of food a day!) and urged city residents to call 311 to report rat sightings, which seems a tad time-consuming considering nobody seems to know how many rats even live in this godforsaken place. (According to one estimate, somewhere around 2 million.)
De Blasio also noted that he has seen "many a rat" in the city. "I know I've seen plenty this year. I see them in the parks, and in the subway," de Blasio said. Not even the Upper East Side has been spared their scourge—the mayor says he saw one in Carl Schurz Park, though he couldn't recall the date. And though he wants this battle won, he is wary of the bloodshed. "We're kind to rats," he said. "We just want them to go away."
Some of the initiatives have already started rolling out, but the Mayor says the new trash can plan will roll out in September. Enjoy your Viral Rat Videos while you can.
Tagged
battle
kill the rats
mayor de blasio
rat deaths
rats
violence
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war on rats
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Rebecca Fishbein
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