NEW YORK (PIX11) — The New York City Department of Sanitation wants your help in the war against rats.

DSNY wants you to snitch on businesses that aren’t following the new rules that require trash to be placed in containers before pickup.  

“It’s time for you to be a rat,” read a DSNY tweet. “See a restaurant, deli, bodega, or grocery store not using a bin? Rat them out by replying here with address and photo.” 

The sanitation department says they’re writing about 1,000 warnings per day. Summonses start at the beginning of September.  

All food-related businesses that put trash at the curb for pickup need to use a garbage can with a secure lid or face fines. 

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.