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NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

businessinsider.com

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Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#31

Post by FFP999 »

Red_Leaves_Flyy wrote: post #13
1over137 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is crazy, because they live in the city with probably the best public transport in their country.

Substandard, decrepit, and unreliable to the point of necessitating alternative means compared to advanced economies.

The real problem is that, for all that, it's still probably the best transit system in the USA. I live in Boston and I would trade the MBTA for the NYC MTA in a heartbeat. (Though to be fair, I would also trade the MBTA for a handful of shiny rocks, that being about equivalent in value.)

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#32

Post by buzzy_hacker »

notjustanymike wrote: post #8
lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

The real solution is quite simple: trash cans The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street. Which leads to some getting ripped open and leaving food for pests.

Trash cans aren't viable because of shortcomings in our infrastructure; we don't have alleyways. Large apartment buildings use dumpsters or basement trash rooms, but you can't exactly cart those out on to the sidewalk. Street side pickup is the only option barring rebuilding the city, and a garbage man isn't picking up an entire trash can. Having a truck pick up the garbage can would also encounter issues with space…

We can just put them on the street, replacing parking spots.

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#33

Post by cantSpellSober »

HPsquared wrote: post #23
notjustanymike wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trash cans aren't viable because of shortcomings in our infrastructure; we don't have alleyways. Large apartment buildings use dumpsters or basement trash rooms, but you can't exactly cart those out on to the sidewalk. Street side pickup is the only option barring rebuilding the city, and a garbage man isn't picking up an entire trash can. Having a truck pick up the garbage can would also encounter issues with space…

Don't Americans have Wheelie Bins? https://wikiwaste.org.uk/Wheelie_Bin

In many cities yes. The current mayor of NYC proposed using trash cans.

The proposal was met with open arms and without controversy (just kidding).

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-homeowners-to-be-charged-for-...

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#35

Post by joecool1029 »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

The real solution is quite simple: trash cans The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street. Which leads to some getting ripped open and leaving food for pests.

> The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street.

NYC has huge underground tunnel networks for subway and other things. The only other city in the US with a comparably large rat problem is Chicago, which also has substantial tunneling. This gives rats a huge place to live. While trash is a contributing factor the huge amount of old tunnels is the main reason it's so hard to control.

The city can do all the control it wants in the parks but it isn't going to put much of a dent in the underground systems.

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#36

Post by giantg2 »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #22
otoburb wrote: post #5

>> [...] a lot of people don't want to give up street parking spots for garbage containers. This is an understatement. A New Yorker with a car that doesn't/can't pay the monthly indoor garage fees will fight tooth and nail for street parking.

On the other hand, it's a reminder of how car-brained we are. You can fit a dumpster in the space that a single SUV takes up, but even in NYC that driver's convenience is more important than a basic amenity like waste management.

This assumes the only way to provide waste management is to replace parking with dumpsters.

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#37

Post by logicalmonster »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

The real solution is quite simple: trash cans The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street. Which leads to some getting ripped open and leaving food for pests.

There's always a cost and a tradeoff. The real question might not be choosing rats or no rats, but choosing between rats or parking. As far as I understand the proposed solution, the containerization proposed would take up somewhere in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 parking spots in NYC.

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#38

Post by PennRobotics »

notjustanymike wrote: post #8
lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

The real solution is quite simple: trash cans The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street. Which leads to some getting ripped open and leaving food for pests.

Trash cans aren't viable because of shortcomings in our infrastructure; we don't have alleyways. Large apartment buildings use dumpsters or basement trash rooms, but you can't exactly cart those out on to the sidewalk. Street side pickup is the only option barring rebuilding the city, and a garbage man isn't picking up an entire trash can. Having a truck pick up the garbage can would also encounter issues with space…

Taking the Trash Off the Streets: Innovative Waste-Management Solutions for New York City (2023)

https://media4.manhattan-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/in...

Re: NYC's new rat-killing weapon is wildly successful – for now

#39

Post by djtango »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

The real solution is quite simple: trash cans The reason why NYC has such a rat epidemic is because they literally throw their trash bags on the street. Which leads to some getting ripped open and leaving food for pests.

I walked past a giant trash bin in Singapore one night and there were literally 10+ rats shuffling around inside it and I could hear it shaking and banging. Singapore has no litter problem (but the heat and humidity probably makes the trash more delicious smelling) but the rats can find their way into anything...
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