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Q&A
Council Member Menin questions DSNY on litter basket pickups and rat mitigation strategies
1:09:16
·
3 min
Council Member Julie Menin inquires about the Department of Sanitation's plans for deploying additional funding for litter basket pickups and discusses rat mitigation strategies. Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan responds to her questions, explaining potential changes in shift timings for litter basket pickups and addressing queries about rat mitigation techniques.
- Menin highlights her office's efforts in increasing litter basket pickups and implementing a novel rat mitigation program using carbon monoxide fumigation in tree pits.
- Lojan discusses plans to introduce midday shifts for litter basket pickups to address gaps in service.
- The conversation touches on the potential for adopting Menin's rat mitigation technique citywide, with Lojan suggesting further discussions with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
Julie Menin
1:09:16
Great.
1:09:16
Thank you so much, chairs.
1:09:18
So a question about litter basket pickups.
1:09:20
So in my first year in the council and in each subsequent year, I've allocated $120,000 to increase litter basket pickups to four times a day in my district.
1:09:32
I've also allocated a hundred and 60 thousand to ACE on the rat mitigation program that we're doing.
1:09:39
As you know, my team and I research what almost every other major city is doing in rat mitigation, and we found this novel technique using the carbon monoxide to fumigate the tree pits.
1:09:50
We have our own exterminator who we then utilize through ACE, and we send our exterminator out at any block in the district that needs it.
1:09:59
We've seen an unbelievable effect of this in our council district.
1:10:04
So my question is, with the additional funding that you're saying you're gonna be doing on litter basket pickups, we are still despite the amount of funding that my office is doing, we are still seeing a lot of complaints along First Avenue in particular.
1:10:19
How are you going to be deploying the additional funding?
1:10:22
How are you making decisions about where additional litter basket pickup is needed?
1:10:28
If you could just answer that first.
1:11:08
And on rat mitigation, I know I ask this every year, I just feel like why is the city not utilizing this technique that we've found really great success around?
1:11:27
Well, just because you're touting this you talk about the trash revolution and you talk about the decrease in rat complaints, so what kind of conversations are you having with DOHMH about utilizing a technique like that to fumigate the tree pits?
1:12:05
Yeah.
1:12:05
I think that would be great.
1:12:06
I mean, I've had many conversations with the RATSAR about it.
1:12:09
I just think it would make a lot of sense to to look at that in a targeted way around the city.
1:12:16
Thank you.
Javier Lojan
1:10:29
Sure.
1:10:30
I think one of the things that we're going to look to do is change the shifts that they run on.
1:10:36
So right now, we run the traditional shifts are in the midnight shift, and then we have some on the four p.
1:10:44
M.
1:10:44
Shift.
1:10:44
So I think we're going to look to see if we can leverage having a midday shift, so an eleven a.
1:10:49
M.
1:10:50
Shift to see if that can mitigate any of the issues.
1:10:53
And we think that we've tried it in some areas and we found it to be effective.
1:10:57
So you have a small gap rather than waiting from eight a.
1:11:01
To four p.
1:11:02
M.
1:11:02
To have some of that service.
1:11:04
So that's one of the things we'll look to do across some of the districts with the additional funding.
1:11:20
I believe that's more of a question for the OHMH.
1:11:23
Really don't do that kind of mitigation, but yeah.
1:11:43
Yeah.
1:11:44
And I think one of the things that we like to highlight is that the big part of that is containerization, and that seen a decline in rat sightings.
1:11:55
We work closely with the and be glad to bring that up with them when we meet with them regularly and see if there's any traction on that end from them.