With trash bins now required in NYC, only the rats are sorry to see the garbage piles go

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City's tradition of piling garbage bags on the sidewalk for pickup is going the way of the dinosaur.

As of Friday, all 200,000 businesses in the Big Apple are required to put out their bags of trash in garbage bins, as communities across the country and world have long done.

The requirement is the next phase in the city's efforts to curb what Mayor Eric Adams' administration has called a “24-hour rat buffet” of trash on sidewalks.

The city in August started requiring restaurants, convenience stores and bars to use a sturdy trash can with a secure lid and extended the requirement to chain stores the following month.