Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today additional service investments in rodent control and rodent abatement with the Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS).  As part of the 2018 budget, Mayor Emanuel is proposing to add five more crews dedicated solely to rodent baiting and provide an additional $500,000 in funding to support the purchase of over 10,000 more black garbage carts.
 
“Investments in our city services are the cornerstones that help make our communities stronger and move the City of Chicago forward,” said Mayor Emanuel.  “These critical investments in rodent control and garbage carts allow us to continue to provide the best possible service on behalf of residents.”
 
In 2018, the DSS will increase the number of crews dedicated solely to rodent baiting by five crews.  This over $1 million investment is achieved through operational efficiencies within the Department since the implementation of Grid Garbage.  These efficiencies allow DSS to reallocate personnel to perform rodent abatement in 2018.  A total of 30 rodent abatement and rodent prevention crews will be operating in neighborhoods citywide starting in 2018.  
 
The five additional crews builds on the other key investments Mayor Emanuel has done in recent years to combat rodents, including establishing the new Bureau of Rodent Control as part of the 2017 budget, testing a fertility-bait product on rodents, which is designed to reduce reproduction, and piloting the application of dry ice in parks and green spaces to determine if is suitable citywide as an additional rodenticide method.   To date, the City has responded to over 39,000 requests for rodent abatement in 2017, and response times for all rodent abatement requests is down to five days.
 
On top of increasing the number of crews performing rodent abatement, the City is also increasing the amount of funding for garbage carts in 2018 to $1,500,000, which is one of the largest local revenue budget appropriation for carts in over five years.  To date, the City has responded to over 23,400 cart requests from residents citywide. Moreover, DSS has repaired and refurbished over 10,000 black refuse carts and over 3,000 blue recycling carts in 2016 and to-date in 2017, saving over $660,000 in cart costs.
 
"With Mayor Emanuel's support, we will continue our zealous fight against rodents, ensuring that every report is addressed within 5 days or less," said Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles L. Williams. "The rodent battle will only benefit from the investment in garbage carts which helps ensure that residents can swap out any damaged carts for a new or refurbished one in a timely manner."
 
Education remains a top priority in rodent abatement. New informational posters are now placed at every baiting location to help residents understand how to eliminate food sources for rodents.  For more information on rodent control services, call 311 or visit www.cityofchicago.org.

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