Mayor Adams’ newest weapon in war on rats: Trash can lids

There’s a new front in the city’s war on rats and it can be found in bodegas, restaurants, grocery stores and cafes.

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new rule requiring all food-related businesses to use trash cans with lids to store garbage on sidewalks. The policy aims to cut down on the mountains of stinky garbage bags that clutter New York sidewalks and serve as a buffet for rodents, city officials said.

Adams hailed the policy as “transformative” during a press conference, saying trash will soon be “less appetizing” to rats.

“We will keep our streets cleaner for longer,” Adams said. “It would vastly improve the cleanliness and quality of life across the five boroughs.”

Businesses can choose the types and sizes of garbage cans they use to store trash, as long as they have a secure lid.

Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch said businesses that can’t fit a large trash can inside – like tiny storefronts or kiosks – can store it within 3 feet of their property line outside.

“One of the new things that you’ll see as part of these rules is much more flexibility on where those containers can be stored, and it’s because we know every business is different and we try to be as accommodating as possible,” Tisch said.

The sanitation department doesn’t collect trash from private businesses like it does from residential buildings. Private businesses must instead pay for a private carting company or get city approval to haul it away themselves.

While there will be a period of outreach and warnings after Aug. 1, the city will eventually issue tickets to business owners who flout the new rule, Tisch said. Fines will start at $50 for the first offense.

The city is also proposing that chain businesses with five or more locations – including franchises – must use trash cans with lids. Public hearings must be held on that proposal before it can go into effect.

The policies will affect a quarter of all of New York’s businesses. The city…