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'Oh Rats' | Dupont neighborhood infested with unwanted critters

"They don't come with switchblades, they use their teeth." People in D.C. are concerned about rats digging through their garbage and teething at their trash cans.

WASHINGTON — If you've ever walked or biked down the street or alleyway in D.C., you've more than likely seen a rat before. Residents in Dupont say that the rats are eating through their garbage cans and they're hoping that the city is able to do something to stop the problem.

Residents in the Dupont community have reached out to city leadership on Wednesday including the mayor, the entire council and the department of public works. The community has not yet received a response, however, they are hoping the council will host a hearing to discuss a solution to the problem.

Nick DelleDonne, president of the Dupont East Civic Action Association, has lived in D.C. since the 60s and called the Dupont neighborhood home for the last 30 years.

He’s seen all of the makeovers D.C. has had, and with every facelift, the rats survive.

“The city has gone through a number of generations of trash cans, and there have been short ones and tall ones and hard ones. It's amazing what they can do, chewing through the durable plastic,” DelleDonne said.

DelleDonne says he hopes that better quality trashcans will be implemented as part of a solution to the rat problem in the neighborhood. 

“It's related to a more serious problem, that is the rats. There seems to be no way to get around them. If there's excavation in the area, it seems to stir them up. and the traps are undisturbed because the rats know that they can get a free meal in the trash can," DelleDonne said.

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