NYC Sanitation Commissioner Tisch says new trash rules are helping to rid city of rats

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch joined us on Eyewitness News Mornings @10 to talk about managing the city's 44 million pounds of trash.

"Trash and rats are on people's minds, so we're sort of meeting the moment," Tisch said.
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The city is going to be enforcing a new rule starting in March 2024 that requires businesses to put their garbage in containers with lids and not just in bags on the streets.

"Human food is rat food," she said.

The new receptacles are working for the businesses that are already in compliance, Tisch said.

This summer rat complaints were down 20% in the city as a whole. They were down 45% in rat mitigation zones. She attributes the change to asking businesses to put their trash out later and the Sanitation Department to pick it up earlier.



You can watch her entire interview in the media player above.
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