New NYC Cleaning Crew Targets Rat-Ridden Crown Heights

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — The newest effort to keep NYC streets rat-free and clean kicked off in a Brooklyn neighborhoods laden with furry neighbors — Crown Heights.

A new task force, the Clean City Alliance, started its sidewalk cleaning efforts on Nostrand Avenue in Bed-Stuy and Utica Avenue in Crown Heights in June, authorities announced Thursday.

"Starting in Crown heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant with a plan to serve commercial corridors in all five boroughs, the Clean City Alliance will provide sidewalk cleaning services to some of our busiest areas," Englander said.

Though not explicitly targeted at rat mitigation, Central Brooklyn has been hit extremely hard this year by trash-loving rats.

Parts of Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy were identified by the city as key targets for rat mitigation, and hundreds of locals say even more of Central Brooklyn should be top priority for the city.

Crown Heights' Community Board 8 has seen 118 311 complaints related to rodents since the beginning of June, a slight decrease from 2022, city data show. Community Board 9 saw over 30, a major decrease from the year before.

In neighboring Bed-Stuy, Community Board 3 topped 230 rodent-related complaints from June 1 to Wednesday, a slight increase over the same period last year.

"Every part of our city deserves to be clean," Mayor Eric Adams said. "That means every street and every neighborhood."

The alliance, organized by the city and Sanitation Foundation, will hit major roads across NYC to improve pedestrian and residents' experience, according to Caryl Englander, chair of the Sanitation Foundation.

The task force will particularly focus on areas that do not have local business improvement districts — but Central Brooklyn is certainly not lacking community organization to fight trashy streets.

Organizers with Clean Up Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy Clean Ups host weekly local trash pick-up events with volunteers, with a joint effort scheduled for July 15 on Fulton Street and Lewis Avenue. SCRAM has made significant local headway in rat-fighting efforts.

City officials say local businesses are supportive of the effort.

“There’s so much potential in New York neighborhoods. Keeping them clean is certainly a good step towards that,” Ayo Balogun, owner of Dept of Culture, said in a statement. “I am really thankful that this kind of initiative will help not only my restaurant, but the whole neighborhood and the city.”

Citywide, trash control seems to has proven successful as a tactic to send rats packing. 311 rat complaints were down 26 percent citywide in June compared to the year before, as the city continues to ramp up new trash regulations and rat mitigation efforts, the New York Post reported.