When people do not properly dispose of their waste, sanitary problems arise, including an increase in the number of rats, other pests, and noxious odors. Also associated with improper disposal of trash is the loss of aesthetic beauty in neighborhood, and increased potential health hazards. In order to combat these problems the City has a number of ordinances that are enforced by the Department of Public Works (DPW). They keep a database of all the Environmental Enforcement Actions called the EEA database. This database the DPW to target parts of the City where there are more problems and increase the effectiveness of their enforcement.

There have been reports of an increase in the number of rats in the City that are causing problems for residents. An effective strategy to limit the rat population is to take away their food, shelter, and water supplies. The improper disposal of trash is a direct food source for rats. A significant decrease in the number of environmental violations could lead to a decrease in the number of rats. Effective enforcement of the solid waste ordinances will reduce the number of rats in the City significantly.

City Laws on Solid Waste

The City’s Environmental Strike Team uses of a warning system. Instead of merely giving the offender a ticket, the inspectors give people a warning and return to the site in 7 days to check if it is clean. This system encourages cleanup more effectively then fining the property owner. In 1997, 168 of the warned sites were clean upon re-inspection. In the first half 1999, the first 2117 sites were cleaned after warnings.

In 1997, 70% of the environmental violations that occurred were in places where the landlord didn’t live. Currently if a ticket is issued for an environmental violation it goes to the property owner, not the resident. These tickets do not directly impact the people responsible for daily disposal of the trash.