Thread by @RadioIke

In 1969 New York City required trash to be taken out in Oscar the Grouch-style metal cans. According to the City’s Department of Health the cans were the best defense against rats. At the time rats were only found on 11% of city blocks. Here’s when that all changed 🧵

That same year, in the summer of 1969, Mayor John Lindsay announced his plan to use garbage bags to replace metal cans.

Early in the project the Mayor's team considered studying the potential effect on rats. But the question disappears after this mention, according to records from the John Lindsay archives at Yale University Library.

The bags made trash pickup 20% faster. They seemed to be embraced by all. In 1971 the City Council unanimously voted to adopt bags city wide. The Mayor, Sanitation Union Boss, and Sanitation Commissioner promoted the bag transition.

But the pest control community, including the preeminent @rodentologist, watched in horror. He says the bags created a non-stop buffet that helped grow the population to its current level: infestations at 80-90% of the city.

This week on @ThisAmerLife my investigation into the 1969 pilot program that led to the city's rat boom. And a 2023 pilot to try to put trash back into cans. On your podcast player: The Big Bag Theory.