801: Must Be Rats on the Brain
This American Life
00:00
The Rats and the City of New York
In January 1971, the city council unanimously voted to approve the use of plastic bags in all five boroughs. Bagmakers primed the public by donating 600,000 sacks and even got to help pick the guy who evaluated the pilot project. At the initial press conference, that guy claimed that bags would reduce the smell so much that they wouldn't attract rats. Now, it's 2023. I don't think you're going to find an administration that is more serious about containers than we are.
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