Rats to the rescue: could pesky rodents finally get New Yorkers composting?

Campaigners hope to harness revulsion at booming rat numbers to expand composting services throughout the city and cut waste

At an August rally on the steps of New York's city hall, rats were in the crosshairs. No to rats", read one poster. Starve a rat", read another. On a third, a pink rodent in a crown lounged on a throne of black garbage bags.

The demonstration wasn't a generalized expression of anti-rat fervor. It was a gathering of sustainable waste activists. They had a proposition: composting could solve an escalating rodent problem that's spreading across the city. Our streets and sidewalks will be cleaner", said New York City council member Carlina Rivera, They'll smell better and they'll provide less food for rats, which is a public health crisis right now."