Mayor Eric Adams' plan to reduce rat populations with lidded garbage bins begins March 1
All businesses have until March 1 to begin using lidded bins. Residents have until the fall.
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Starting March 1, black trash bags must be placed inside lidded bins in an effort pushed by Mayor Eric Adams to reduce rat populations.
The Sanitation Committee held a hearing Tuesday on the city composting plan and reviewed the new changes. Back in September, the mayor's administration announced the plan to help get these rats off our streets. According to the Department of Sanitation, moving the trash into sealed containers would cut of the 24-hour rat buffet and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.
One bill proposed in the hearing would increase the civil penalty for repeated littering violations. All businesses have until March 1 to begin using lidded bins. Residents have until the fall. For some business owners, they say the act would become a burden.
Abby Falana opened her banquet hall, Utopia Palace, in July, and she says putting every trash bag in bins after a big event would "be unrealistically not possible."
"At the end of most events, estimates to be around 40 bags," she says. "A bin holds about two bags maximum, so we'd be talking about 15 bins being put out each night or more." She also told News 12 that she was not aware of the upcoming change.
News 12 reached out to the Department of Sanitation regarding Falana's concerns.
