Rodent-Proof Trash Bins Head To Harlem In Citywide Rat Attack

HARLEM, NY — The city has a message for Harlemites griping about rats in the neighborhood: put a lid on it.

Lidded trash cans will be coming to Harlem as the first step in a strategy to crack down on rat infestations citywide, the Sanitation department announced Wednesday with a massive new report.

But this perk for Harlemites battling against the rats will come with a downside for drivers: the loss of about 150,000 parking spots citywide.

The pilot program, expected to begin this fall in Community Board 9, will place lidded bins on Harlem streets with schools and the 10-block stretch between 110th and 155th streets, according to Harlem Council Member Shaun Abreu.

“Having the Department of Sanitation launch shared waste containerization in Upper Manhattan to tackle school waste is going to make for better sanitation and waste reduction," Abreu said in a statement to Patch.

"I am proud that our district is on the forefront of this exciting development."

The city program would replace bagged trash — notoriously easy for rats to nibble their way into — with covered container in parking spaces or along curbs on up to 89 percent of New York City's blocks.

The city will begin in Harlem likely because it was recently deemed a "rat hot spot," based on the number of local 311 calls complaining about rodents.

In the first two and a half months of 2022, Harlem had 423 rat sightings reported to 311 — the highest number during the period since at least 2012.

Abreu, along with Mayor Eric Adams, worked with Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch to secure $5.7 million in funding for the new trash bin initiative.

Covered trash bins are part of a strategy that European and Asian cities have deployed for decades.

The trash containerization plan would eliminate up to 10 percent of all available parking spots on New York City's residential streets, according to the New York Times.

The report released Wednesday never specifies how much money this entire push will take.