The Big Apple is under siege. Not by aliens or superheroes, but by a rat plague growing unchecked. And the origin of this invasion, according to experts, dates back to a municipal decision made over half a century ago: replacing metal containers with plastic bags.
Before 1971, New Yorkers threw their trash into metal bins with airtight lids. Those containers were a fortress against rodents: rats could not access the waste. But that year, the City Council allowed plastic bags to be left directly on the street. The measure simplified collection for sanitation workers, but it also became a feast for rats.
Pest controllers have warned for decades: plastic bags are confetti for these animals. Rats tear them open easily and find everything they need to survive: just 30 milliliters of water and 30 grams of food per day. A dripping faucet and a few potato chip crumbs are enough.
The city tried to reverse course. In 2023, then-Mayor Eric Adams announced that 89% of residential streets could return to closed containers. But the plan required a multimillion-dollar investment and eliminating thousands of parking spaces. Finally, in March 2024, a regulation came into effect requiring all businesses to use containers. Today there are 1.1 million official containers, but the battle is just beginning.
The current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promised that by 2031 all city waste will be managed with containers. Meanwhile, pest control experts visit restaurants and homes to educate residents. And the numbers offer some hope: since November 2024, each month has recorded fewer rat sightings than the same month the previous year. So far in 2026, service requests for rats have dropped 23% compared to the same period in 2025.
But the plague is not new. Brown rats, native to northern China and Mongolia, arrived in New York on merchant ships in the mid-18th century. Today, after humans, they are the most numerous mammals on the planet: they live on every continent except Antarctica. In New York, a study revealed that in 1969 they inhabited 11% of the city; by 2023 they were in 90%. Specialists estimate there are between 500,000 and 2 million rats in the metropolis.
The danger is not just aesthetic. Rats transmit bacterial infections like leptospirosis and salmonellosis, and cause physical injuries: each year, about 100 New Yorkers report being bitten. The city continues to fight a crisis it fueled more than 50 years ago.
Para mí esto es claramente el capitalismo yanki de mierda que cambió contenedores por bolsitas de plástico para ahorrar dos mangos y ahora las ratas se cagan de risa mientras los laburantes sufren. Yo creo que deberían volver a los contenedores comunitarios ya, ¡abajo el sistema!
Para mí esto es lo que pasa cuando dejás que los progres zurdos manejen la ciudad. ¡Volvé a los contenedores de metal, che! La inmigración y las políticas blandas arruinaron Nueva York. Los ratones son el símbolo de esta decadencia. ¡A limpiar con mano dura, carajo!