Inspectional Services Department (ISD) Commissioner, William “Buddy” Christopher led a spirited discussion at the June 2018 meeting of the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC). ISD is responsible for enforcing Boston’s building, zoning and sanitary codes.
The first resource for residents and business owners is the 311 hotline, 617-635-4500, available online at Boston.gov/311 or Download the app for iOS or Android. (Call 911 for public safety issues, police or fire.) After a brief introduction, Christopher took questions starting at the 4:00 minute mark in the video.
Trash and rat concerns immediately took center stage at the meeting. Joe’s American Bar & Grill was cited regarding an ongoing dumpster and rat infestation (07:30 in video). Christopher reviewed the process of violations and ISD’s efforts to work with the establishment.
Starting around the 20:00 minute mark, an extended discussion ensued regarding residential trash pickup times and the number of pickups per week. Trash and recycling is currently picked up on Monday and Fridays. Residents are allowed to put out trash starting at 5:00 p.m. on the night before pickup. Council members and the audience debated same day pickup or at least moving the time to later on the night before. The trash pickup contract comes up for renewal in 2019.
” Trash and recycling is currently picked up on Monday and Fridays. Residents are allowed to put out trash starting at 5:00 p.m. on the night before pickup”
Speaking as a city rat scientist, cities with policies of ” 5pm night before” for next day trash pickup (as with many East coast cities) share a major portion of the reason why so many cities along the NE corridor have been experiencing a so-called “unexplainable” rat explosion over the past ten years. It is no mystery and it has never been an explosion. Rather, it has been a long, long, food-nourishing/ slow boil with the inevitable boil-over. Certainly, super strict fines on all stores and eateries for dumpster violations are essential. Managing rats in our cities is 90% city refuse management practices and policies for both residential and commercial ; 10% via depending on exterminators with those black boxes with poisons.
It’s simple: no food = no rats.
But getting large metropolises the likes of Boston, NYC, DC, Phily, etc., organized for expedient trash collection? A true conundrum for sure.