New York City’s battle against rats is showing early signs of success, with complaint calls about the rodents down 20%.
(Bloomberg) — New York City’s battle against rats is showing early signs of success, with complaint calls about the rodents down 20%.
Calls to the 311 hotline fell by about a fifth from May through mid-July compared with the same span last year, Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Tuesday, citing progress in efforts to eradicate the vermin. He said that calls plunged 45% within the city’s four mitigation zones, which officials have identified as top targets.
Read more: New York City’s Rat Czar Will Earn $155,000 to Lead Rodent Fight
The city enacted new trash collection protocols in May to cut down on the amount of time garbage sits on the curb and increase the use of containers to prevent rats from getting an easy meal. After a promising drop in rodent sightings soon after the rules were implemented, Adams said the city was moving in the right direction.
“Every food scrap that we keep out of the trash and every black bag that we keep off the street is a meal that we’re taking out of a hungry rodent’s stomach,” Adams said in a statement.
The mayor has focused on quality-of-life issues like rats, overcrowded sidewalks, subway safety and double-parked cars as part of his efforts to revitalize the city after the Covid-19 pandemic.
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