Boston WCVB-TV5 profiles the ongoing rat infestation in the North End, interviewing Paula Dello Russo who found a rodent hiding under the hood of her car. Rat reports have been consistent on 311, the Mayor’s hotline for such incidents. Public Works says they have stepped up poison baiting in sewers and enforcing trash disposal.
The problem is disgusting, saw one in the middle of the day
You will never convince me that the City is doing all they can do to eliminate the Rodent Problem down here.
The first step they can do is to increase fines for those throwing their trash out improperly & fining those who
don’t pick up after their dogs. I mean big fines that shock them into abiding by the rules. If you want to
get a point across you have to hit them in the pocket, not these Mickey Mouse fines, that only lead to these
ongoing trash problems. Where there is a Will there is ALWAYS a Way. Common Sense.
To Joan of Arc~~~~~~Exactly~~WORD FOR WORD !!!!!!!!!
I think this was exacerbated when the city went from three trash pickups a week to two. North End apartments are small and there is no space to store trash. By Thursday night the garbage we have been storing in our apartments since the Monday pickup is starting to smell and people are anxious to get it out and in the street. We need to have three garbage pickups a week in the North End.
i disagree. we do not need trash sitting on the sidewalks for 36+ hours a week. are you recycling or just throwing everything away?
No. Trash should be placed out on the morning it is collected. When it’s put out the night before trash pickers come by at all hours and tear open the trash bags spilling trash on the sidewalks. It’s a feast for rats.
That being said, the city really hurt the North End when they went from three garbage pickups a week to two. It was done to save money without any thought about the consequences for North End residents.
i agree with you on the no trash on the sidewalks until the morning, but people on this site lose their minds when someone suggests that idea. the reality is if people recycled more, utilized garbage disposals, and did not put their trash out until the morning, there would significant improvement with the trash situation.
truth, if you only have 2 trash pick ups, the trash is on the street,when people do the wrong thing, from monday after a pickup til friday pick up. if you add the wed pickup again it’s only out 2 nights instead of 4. do the math. transient tenants are not going to care one bit. especially if the landlord or condo owners get the fine.
I agree with Nicholas. We need more trash pickup, and we need someone to come sweep the street AFTER the trash pickup to pick up all the trash that didn’t make it. This is a small area, it is worth the investment. The streets are full of garbage AFTER the trash pickup, in most cases because people don’t prepare it properly for the trash truck. Someone should video what happens on trash day, and how the trash remains. Of course we have rats! There is food out there 24/7 for them to eat.
Nicholas Dello Russo, We could have pick up every single day of the week & the problems will still exist in the
Absentee Landlord Buildings. These people would throw their trash out after the Trash Pick Up. We need
Enforcement Desparately down here. Look at the Absentee Landlord Buildings where their tenants throw the
trash in front of other people’s property. What about the Absentee Landlords’ tenants who dispose of their furniture by putting it on the ajoining building’s roof. We have a lot of issues concerning Rats, Trash & Dog
Crap & Absentee Landlords who look at their property as Cash Cows with no regard whatsoever, for the
Neighborhood. Think about it Nick. These are the facts, like them or not, We have to fight for our rights.
The City has been getting away with Plenty for Years. They have an Art for “smoozing” people over.
I agree, some people will put out their trash whenever they feel like it I’ve witnessed it many times.
This is a serious problem and it disturbs me that some people seem to think it’s a joke.
Excellent interview, Paula. During the “Big Dig” major efforts to control the inevitable rodent problem were made even though most of that construction work was done along the periphery of the North End. Excavation work currently going on throughout the interior of our neighborhood and even more intense (ex. Hanover Avenue) has not been paid near as much attention with regard to this unhealthy rat infestation matter–that is a disgrace!
This is rediculous. I read an article on here last week about the amount of rats near the library and it is truly disgusting. I think a lot of it has to do with a restaurant nearby who uses Vespas to hold a parking space so that at night they than throw upwards of 20 bags of garbage into the parking spot. Truly gross
Everyone made excellent valid points. Nicholas, like I said, you could have Trash Pick ups 7 days a week
they will put the trash out anyway & anywhere. Big Question, What are we going to do about it? People
only get away with what you allow them to get away with. We have to fight for our rights. The wheel that
squeaks the loudest gets the grease.
When we had Trash Pick Up 3 days a week we had the exact same problems we are having now. Did everyone
have an amnesia attack? If you get rid of the Pigs, you get rid of Most of the Rats, never all.
The fines have to be higher that is the only shot we have. OMG. Does anyone get this besides Janet G?
Absentee Landlords will love this idea, and let’s see what the City does about it.
absentee landlords are making tons of money. their tenants do not care about the fines. the landlords will pay them, then charge more rent. The city needs to step up as well. hire a respectable exterminating company to help eradicate as many rats as possible. The amount of property tax I/we PAY, WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS. I set my own traps. I kill at least 6 rats a week. doesn’t make a dent in the rat population. I spent over 2k dollars on 3 cars that have had the wires chewed.
I was on the “clean streets” committee for 2 years before it was folded into NEWRA. I applaude Janet for continuing to award Good Neighbors but I agree, we need to fine bad neighbors! And stick to two trash days!! We need to educate and re-educate everyone on how to put trash — and garbage — out properly. Keep garbage separate from trash – that’s what makes the trash stink! Put recyclables in clear bags and maybe trash pickers won’t rip open the black trash bags looking for bottles and cans. Open paper bags are the worst. People are lazy and think the rules don’t apply to them. And it appears most landlords don’t even bother to inform new tenants of the rules. There is so much turnover of tenants, responsible landlords – or property managers -should be informing/educating each time someone new moves in. A ticket and a $100 tacked onto a tax bill isn’t going to do anything. Unfortunately I don’t think the City, or the neighborhood, has the will to really SOLVE the problem!
I don’t think the fine should go on the Tax Bill, I think they should issue tickets like they do parking tickets &
$100. is not enough. When you hit the Landlords with a $500. fine, watch how clean the neighborhood
becomes. The bottomline, The City could be doing more, and they are NOT. What else is new? The City
should make Cameras a Necessity if you want to own property in the City, this is the only way you can
determine who the culprits are. Any Landlord that owns property in this prosperous city can afford the
Camera, no excuses.
M.C. Every Landlord should have in their leases, if a tenant is not abiding by the Rules & puts their trash out
whenever they feel like & the Landlord gets a fine, the Landlord has the right to let the guilty Tenant pay for the
fine. The Absentee Landlords are as guilty as the City when it comes to this. The City imposes the fine to
the Property Owner, the owner finds out thru his camera who is the tenant involved & they are responsible
for the fine. Simple & Legal.