More plastic is headed to New York City streets to help it reduce its rat problems.
The city recently began requiring bins and carts for most businesses and residents since rats easily feast on trash bags left on sidewalks, which had been the standard practice until 2024.
Now city leaders have set an Aug. 1 deadline for business improvement districts (BIDs) to begin using covered containers as well. BIDs are community organizations that oversee commercial districts. That includes making sure that public trash bins are emptied and overseeing cleanup from overflowing trash cans, our sister paper Crain's New York Business writes. Some BIDs hire the homeless and the formerly incarcerated — people who have problems finding work — to handle the cleanup.
Many BIDs operate on a shoestring budget and maintain they cannot afford to buy containers, so they are seeking assistance from the city to make the purchases.