Councilors Ed Flynn and Liz Breadon Held Hearing on Pest Control and Illegal Dumping

See press release below:

BOSTON – Boston City Councilors Ed Flynn and Liz Breadon held a hearing this week to discuss issues relating to pest control and illegal dumping in the City of Boston. The hearing was sponsored by Councilor Ed Flynn and Councilor Breadon, and was chaired by Councilor Flynn in the Committee for City and Neighborhood Services. The hearing brought together city officials and community advocates, together they discussed measures that the city has been taking to respond to the recent uptick in rodent activities and preventing illegal dumping, as well as other ways to improve on these issues.

The hearing was held on Tuesday, September 22nd, and was attended by officials from Boston’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) and Code Enforcement, as well as representatives from the Asian American Civic Association (AACA) in Chinatown, and the Allston Civic Association. Councilors Flynn and Breadon emphasized the importance of rodent control, and City Councilors in attendance have noted the increased reports of rodent infestations and activities in recent months in the city.

City officials noted that other cities have seen similar uptick in pests due to the pandemic, since rodent food sources are being moved from commercial areas to residential areas. ISD officials have been responding to this by stepping up on inspections and enforcement, dropping flyers on impacted areas about how to properly dispose of trash, and looking at methods such as using dry ice to kill rats. Officials emphasized the importance of properly disposing trash in curbing rodent activities, and encouraged residents to use 311 to report cases so ISD can better track the cases and activities. Advocates from AACA and the Allston Civic Association noted that rodents and illegal dumping have long been issues for their neighborhoods, and suggested higher penalty fees for violators, more public education and enforcement to address these issues.

“Pest control and prevention of illegal dumping have always been important quality of life issues for our residents, and with the pandemic, it’s even more important that we keep our neighborhoods clean and healthy,” said Councilor Flynn. “I’m grateful for the work that our city employees and community advocates are doing in remedying these issues. I want to thank Councilor Breadon for her partnership, and everyone for participating in this productive hearing. I look forward to continuing working on these issues.”

For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and  [email protected].