More Than 200K Trash Cans Purchased To Curb Rat Problem

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--$8.9 million of city taxpayer money, all of it being spent on garbage cans in Baltimore.

WJZ's Meghan McCorkell has more on reaction across the city.

They hold 64 gallons, are emblazoned with the seal of Baltimore and the city has bought more than 200,000 of them.

The purchase is costing taxpayers millions, and not all residents are happy.

"I could go to the dollar store and buy my own trash cans," said one resident.

"There's a whole lot of other things they could do with that money! There's a lot of people, a lot of people need help," another resident said.

The city has already signed the check to provide trash cans to every city household to help combat Baltimore's growing rat problem.

"They should be spending that money somewhere else like school systems are something like that instead of all that money on trash cans," said Deairra Evans.

WJZ asked the mayor about the multi-million dollar price tag.

McCorkell:" "What do you say to people who are saying that's millions of dollars that could be spent on other things, like education, the police?

"Every dollar we spend could be spent on something else," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake.

In the two pilot neighborhoods that already have the trash cans the number of rat extermination calls has plummeted 75 percent!

"It's definitely made a change in the community for sure. I mean I've seen a major difference and I've been living here almost ten years," said Christina Delgado.

The new trash cans will start appearing throughout the city in January.

City garbage trucks will be now be fitted to lift the new trash containers.

The city originally budgeted ten million dollars for the program, but bids came in under budget.