NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — New York City will require 95% of residential properties to containerize their waste as City Hall ramps up its war on rats, Mayor Eric Adams and Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Wednesday.
“Our administration is winning the war on rats, and we are keeping up the fight,” Adams said. “With this new plan to put residential trash in containers, 70% of trash in our city will be off our streets and out of rat buffet lines. We are moving aggressively to execute our ambitious vision and deliver the clean, safe city New Yorkers demand and deserve.”
The plan set to begin in fall 2024 will require buildings with nine or fewer residential units to place trash in secure containers and in official NYC Bins beginning in the summer of 2026.
The official New York City Bins will be available from a vendor with prices lower than they would be in retail stores, Adams said.
This new strategy aims to get black bags off of New York City streets, reclaim public space, and improve quality of life for all New Yorkers, City Hall said. The residential trash policy is part of the city’s war on rats.
Just last month, Adams announced that all businesses citywide will be required to put their trash in containers, and the administration is now on track to have 70% of NYC's garbage in containers, Adams said.
The approach is already showing results, according to officials. Over the past summer, there was a 20% drop in 311 calls about rat activity compared to the previous year, and a significant 45% decrease in Rat Mitigation Zones.
“Less than one year ago, we stood in front of City Hall and declared war on the rats, war on the bags, and war on the idea that other cities could get their trash off the streets, but New York couldn’t,” said Tisch. “We’re closer than ever to showing the doubters, the rat-sympathizers, and the trash-lovers just how wrong they were.”