A ward in Tokyo has begun testing an unprecedented project to combat rats with garbage bags infused with the smell of a certain herb.
In recent years, Chiyoda Ward has faced an increasing number of rat problems, with about 200 resident complaints per year from FY2019 to FY2022, compared to about 50 in FY2018.
One district *** said the increase could be due to "some restaurants not properly disposing of food waste, as well as a decline in natural predators such as crows and cats." "The number of complaints is expected to exceed 400 in the 2023 fiscal year, which ends next month.
Last summer and autumn, the downtown area near JR Kanda Station succeeded in reducing the rat population through strict garbage disposal regulations and enhanced cleaning.
To prevent the rat population from growing again, the ward, in partnership with a number of garbage disposal companies, has started a demonstration project using garbage bags with the smell of herbs such as peppermint, which rats are believed to hate the herb.
The project started with four restaurants and had them use garbage bags, which were checked by the garbage disposal company for rodent bites.
A month has passed, but so far no damage has been confirmed," said a member of the waste disposal company group.
The project is scheduled to run until the end of fiscal year 2025. The district *** said that "if the garbage bag proves to work, it will be rolled out in more areas".
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