Mayor Adams Advances Four Bills to Set More Rat “Traps” in NYC
With the highest number of rat sighting complaints in New York City in ten years, Mayor Eric Adams decided do not give any respite to these rodents. After advancing on other measures on how New Yorkers should handle garbage, this Wednesday progress was made in a public hearing to speed up the approval of four bills that will become new “traps” for undesirable animals.
“We are making it clear that rats don’t rule the citywe do,” said the municipal president when initiating discussions on some plans that will force the New York City Department of Health (DOHMH) to create mitigation areas and update statistics on extermination policies.
In addition, the builders of new buildings or those who remodel old buildings must have among their plans a elimination strategy for this pest.
“Everybody knows that I hate rats.. We’ve had 110 mayors in this city and every mayor had to deal with a rodent problem. We want to continue moving towards safe and healthy spaces.”
These regulations, which could have the force of law in a matter of weeks, will be added to some measures already announced by the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) such as changing the hours in which garbage reaches the sidewalks, with the criteria that waste must not be being outside for long periods of time, to prevent the rodents have plenty of time to smell and chase them.
The measure, which has already begun the cycle of public consultations, would formally enter into force on April 1, 2023.
The laws discussed
The bill, coded as 414-A, requires the DOHMH to issue an annual report for each zone, on the success of rat mitigation measures. At the same time, detailed information should be provided on the extermination measures in each of these areas.
Another rule, to be approved by the Council, would require that before a permit authorizing certain construction work is issued, the applicant certifies that an exterminator has been hired Licensed to eliminate rodents.
Additionally, Bill 459-A would require DOHMH to designate rat mitigation zones no later than April 1, 2023.
Finally, another legal initiative would require buildings that receive two or more rat maintenance codes to place their waste in rodent proof containers for at least two years.
