WAR ON RATS: CITY TO ISSUE UNIFORM TRASH CARTS

SOMERVILLE – To help control the rodent population and reduce the city’s

solid waste tonnage, the City of Somerville will begin distributing

uniform trash carts to residential units in June. Every household that

receives trash service from the City will be provided, free of charge,

with one 64-gallon, rodent-resistant wheeled trash cart similar to the

Zero-Sort recycling carts already in use.

The uniform trash cart program is part of the broad new Integrated Pest

Management Plan announced by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone in November that,

among other efforts, includes five key initiatives designed to

intensify existing City rodent control programs:

•    Financial assistance for residential rodent control

•    A new uniform residential trash cart program

•    Comprehensive Dumpster inspection and enforcement

•    Establishment of the Rodent Action Team (RAT) and

•    Rodent fertility management as piloted in New York City

The new carts’ sturdy construction and secure-fitting lids will keep out

rodents, denying them a food source, and will result in fewer

blown-over barrels, helping to keep streets clean and attractive on

trash days. The new carts must be placed on the curb for pickup with the

lid tightly closed, as noted in the City’s current ordinance. If stored

outside, they must also always be tightly closed.

“We run into issues now where households have smaller trash cans that

overflow, so the majority of trash is uncovered on pickup day and more

likely to be stored uncovered during the week,” said Director of

Inspectional Services Goran Smiljic. “Not only are the new carts harder

for rodents to chew through than most commercially sold carts, the

average Somerville household produces 33 gallons of trash each week, so

the new 64-gallon cart will have more than 30 gallons of built-in space

for overflow that will fit inside with the lid still closed tightly.

This should reduce rodent access to household garbage as a food source,

and removing food sources is critical in controlling the rodent

population.”

Delivery of the new carts to homes will take place over a four-week

period starting at the beginning of June. The carts will come with clear

instructions for their use, and residents are encouraged to mark them

with their address to help ensure that they stay on the property.

Data indicate that, combined with active recycling, the 64-gallon cart

should offer sufficient trash capacity for more than 85 percent of

households most weeks. Households producing more trash than fits in the

cart may place overflow trash curbside in their current trash barrels

without a lid. Over the coming months, the City will monitor use of the

carts and may make changes to the program based on data and feedback

from residents.

“The City and the Board of Aldermen are committed both to protecting our

environment and to controlling the rodent population, and with this

program we are asking residents to join in both of these efforts,” said

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “The data show that when people have uniform

carts, they throw away less. We also know that open trash barrels can

attract rodents. This program gives each of us the opportunity to keep

our neighborhoods clean, reduce rodent activity and support

sustainability goals simply by recycling more and keeping our trash

carts tightly closed.”

“It’s important that we promote a safe and healthy environment here in

Somerville,” said Bill White, Alderman-At-Large and President of the

Board of Aldermen. “Uniform trash carts will help us do this by reducing

the rodent population, keeping trash off our streets, and limiting the

amount of waste that has to be incinerated or sent to landfills.”

“As a community, we’ve worked hard to reduce the rodent population. I’m

encouraged that our efforts are starting to pay off, but we can do more,

and uniform trash carts are a logical next step,” said Maryann Heuston,

Ward 2 Alderman and Chair of the Rodent Issues Subcommittee of the

Board of Aldermen. “Rodents, like people, need access to food. The new

carts will cut off that access, making it more difficult for rodents to

survive and improving quality of life for residents.”  

“Examples elsewhere suggest that when you give people a uniform trash

receptacle, they produce less trash, which reduces their carbon

footprint, and these carts will be doing double duty by helping to

reduce rodent activity as well,” said Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 7

Alderman and Chair of the Environment and Energy Committee. “I look

forward to seeing how they impact the amount people throw away and the

cleanliness of our streets and to working with the City and community to

make the program a success.”

The carts, which are being provided by Russell Disposal, came at no cost

to the City, and the City expects them to lead to cost savings in the

future as solid waste tonnage decreases and the cost of disposal

increases. The carts’ standard design will allow them to be picked up

more easily, improving worker safety and making collection quicker and

more efficient. Their handles and wheels will make them easy to roll to

the curb, even when full.

Upcoming Rodent Issues Hearing

The City’s Rodent Action Team will be presenting an update on their

efforts as part of the Public Hearing on Rodent Issues being held by the

Rodent Issues Subcommittee of the Board of Aldermen at 6 p.m. on

Wednesday, June 4, in the Aldermanic Chambers at City Hall, 93 Highland

Ave.

More detailed information can be found at www.somervillema.gov/trash.