NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The Department of Sanitation made a proclamation on Saturday that “NYC is winning the War on Rats,” citing statistics that rat sightings are down citywide after the implementation of Adams administration sanitation policies.
The DSNY is steadfast that “Containerization works.” Rat sightings were down 6% citywide in 2023, thanks to efforts put in place by Mayor Eric Adams in an effort to reach his goal of containerizing 100% of the city’s garbage, the DSNY said.
In the 10-block radius of the Hamilton Heights pilot area – where trash is picked up six times a week in an Adams administration effort to reduce the time garbage sits on the street – rat sightings are down 68% since the pilot began on Aug. 14, 2023.
Adams and the DSNY also began targeting hot spots for cleaning and rat mitigation, and this strategy in the War on Rats resulted in a 16% reduction in sightings in these areas.
Authorities said these decreases are a reversal of a years-long trend of rat sighting increases.
“The decrease during the months after containerization rules began going into effect is the LARGEST year-over-year decrease in almost 15 years,” the DSNY said.
Officials said that before containerization, 2023 was expected to have an increase in rat sightings, following typical trends. Because of containerization’s success, the DSNY refuses to “[back] down from this effective strategy.”
These efforts are continuing alongside the rollout of DSNY’s “Litter Basket of the Future,” an updated trash bin that is cheaper, lighter, reduces the chance of injury to sanitation workers, prevents the dumping of large items and has a perforated shell to impede rats.
“In 2024, more bins are coming citywide, whether the rats like it or not,” the DSNY said.