NYC launches plan to tackle rubbish overflow - and rats

New York City is iconic for its yellow taxis, pizza slices, bright lights on Broadway. And its rats.

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Mountains of black garbage bags line cramped city sidewalks, a feast for the millions of rodents who call New York home.

But such an unsanitary eyesore could soon be a remnant of the city's past, with the local authorities launching a "trash revolution" to clean up the streets.

Since the beginning of March, more than 200,000 food-selling businesses have been required to use hard-lidded bins to store the millions of tonnes of garbage they produce annually.

By 2026, residential buildings will also be required to use such containers, a plan inspired by the approach used in cities including Barcelona, Madrid and Buenos Aires. A pilot programme is under way in Manhattan's northern Harlem neighbourhood.

The city will eventually lose some 150,000 parking spaces - a sore spot for many New Yorkers as a result of the new container roll-out, but advocates say any protest might be diluted by the pleasing results of the clean-up.

"It's a change for me," said Harlem resident Ron James. "I come in at night, and a lot of times I have to walk in the streets to avoid the rats walking on the sidewalk.