Melrose City Council Targets Trash, Rats

The following was submitted by City Councilors Jen Grigoraitis and Shawn MacMaster:

In a unanimous vote, the Melrose City Council recently amended the City’s trash collection and disposal ordinance to require that household garbage be placed inside of barrels with tight-fitting lids when stored outside of homes. Sponsored by Councilors Shawn MacMaster (Ward 5) and Jennifer Grigoraitis (Ward 6), the amendment was filed in an effort to respond to residents’ concerns over the increased presence of rats in certain neighborhoods of the city. “Like many other communities in the Greater Boston area, Melrose has experienced a spike in the rat population,” said MacMaster. “From a legislative perspective, we needed to start first and foremost by regulating sanitation practices related to household garbage, which is a common food source for rats.”

According to MacMaster, the strengthened ordinance is just the first step. “We have more work to do on this issue, and Councilor Grigoraitis and I are committed to working with our colleagues on the Council and with the administration to develop a thoughtful, multipronged approach,” said MacMaster.

"I appreciate the responsiveness from our colleagues on the Council to resident concerns,” said
Grigoraitis. “In unanimously approving this ordinance change, it underscores the Council's
recognition that the most effective approach to this issue is a holistic one."

The newly revised ordinance prevents residents from leaving bags filled with garbage on sidewalks or streetside. It also requires that outside barrels, when containing one or more bags of garbage, be covered at all times, even when on private property.

“This is as much about keeping rats away from homes as it is about keeping them out of barrels,” said MacMaster. “Rats don’t just come out on trash day. When barrels stored alongside houses are left uncovered, rats will associate those houses with food and may find their way inside through small cracks in the foundation or through the dryer vent.”

According to MacMaster, rats have also been known to chew through electrical wiring, which creates a risk for fire: “We need to look at this as not only a public health issue, but a public safety one, too,” he said.

MacMaster and Grigoraitis have acknowledged that the City needs to reexamine its trash hauling and disposal contract, when it expires, in order to create uniformity in how trash is stored by homeowners. "The City's next trash hauling and disposal contract negotiation presents an opportunity for Melrose to continue to move forward as a community on public health and safety issues,” said Grigoraitis. “I believe the Council looks forward to learning more about the plans to examine all of our options as they pertain to mitigating rodent populations, maximizing recycling, and supporting worker and resident safety."

The new changes take effect on November 4th , with the enforcement provision set to go into effect on March 1, 2022. The enforcement start date was extended by the City Council to allow the administration time to conduct public outreach and education about the ordinances and to develop enforcement protocols. A property owner’s first violation would result in a written warning. Subsequent violations would carry a $100 fine for each offense.