'War on rats' shows progress, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says
![A rat seeks out a snack at the Herald Square subway...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AYWFhMzU3NzUtNTdlYy00%3ANzUtNTdlYy00ZmE1NjNi%2Fnyrats230726_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
A rat seeks out a snack at the Herald Square subway station in Manhattan in July 2017. New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday touted the city's recent efforts to rid the city of the rodents. Credit: Getty Images / Gary Hershorn
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday hailed the city's rat mitigation efforts, which he said have resulted in a 20% reduction in 311 calls complaining about rat activity over the past two months.
“It’s still early, but these numbers show what we’re doing is working and that we are moving in the right direction," Adams said in a statement.
City officials said the reduction in calls about rat activity occurred between May and mid-July, a period when the city fully implemented new set-out times for trash collection, and a corresponding collection schedule that minimizes the time trash sits on the curb and increases the use of containers citywide.
Before the rules changed, trash in many neighborhoods sat out on a curb for more than 14 hours, and in some instances even longer, up to 32 hours.
"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 the statement.
Officials also said the city’s four rat mitigation zones — Bronx Grand Concourse, Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick and East Village/Chinatown — saw rat sighting calls decrease by an average of more than 45%.
"Less access to food means fewer rats. But it means more than that, it means clean, beautiful streets," said sanitation department commissioner Jessica Tisch when rat-fighting steps were outlined June 28.
Adams also announced Tuesday that the administration will co-host the first Anti-Rat Community Day of Action in the Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone, in partnership with the BUFNY II / Harlem Street Tenants Association.
The Day of Action is scheduled for Aug. 12 and will bring together city and community partners to share best practices and take action on rodent mitigation, street tree care and waste/litter management. The city plans additional days of action in each borough.
"It takes all of us to win the war on rats, so I encourage New Yorkers to keep composting, keep putting your trash in containers, and I hope to see you out there at one of our ‘Anti-Rat Community Days of Action,’” Adams' statement said.
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