BOSTON — The overabundance of rats in the North End of Boston is creating a community-wide disturbance. The rats have repeatedly spread garbage around the community by taking advantage of the penetrable white plastic bags left out on trash nights.

The rat population has not gone without notice. On Dec. 11, 2007, author Brian R. Ballou reported via The Boston Globe that a national rodent control company, d-CON, “rated Boston as the third most likely city to experience a surge in the rat population.” However, no solution to the surge has been ultimately successful.

According to public notices that were delivered in the mail, the general consensus of the North End community is that the spread of filth across the streets is a combination of issues. The restaurants leave leftover food out on the streets at night, allowing rodents to pick through the garbage bags. However, the community has yet to find a solution to the problem.

Several notices have been written in order to inform the community of the rat epidemic. However, not until recently has “every person in the North End received an orange…paper from the city…explaining the new rules” of trash edict, says 20-year-old, and lifetime resident of the North End, Christina Natale. With the new rules presented the “solution…is already in progress,” says Natale.

With garbage on the sidewalks at night, Joe Solof, a 19-year-old resident, believes that “the trash men…seem to leave half of what they pick up.” Although, the community has agreed it to be the rats, some still believe that other possibilities weigh in. “If they put in large dumpsters all over the neighborhood…it would keep the bags off the street,” states Solof.

Recently, the North End Waterfront Residents Association (NEWRA) has suggested the installation of environmentally friendly garbage dumpsters known as “big bellies.” With the new garbage receptacles rumored to be in the community soon, the North End trash problem could be reduced.

As for now, broken glass and paper will be seen on the streets of the North End. “I’m constantly surprised at the amount of broken glass I walk by everyday,” expresses Solof. Residents of the North End are attempting to rid their streets of a growing problem; however, without the compliance of every community member, a cure could be unattainable.