Nathaniel Garber Schoen, the owner of Garber Hardware in Manhattan, is getting used to having a new trash bin for his hardware store. He got his new trash can months ago.

“We do accumulate trash. Just like any household does or any other business, we do have a small percentage of trash that would be attractive to rodents,” Garber Schoen said.

Starting March 1, all city businesses were required to use a lidded bin when placing their trash at the curb for collection. There was a one-month warning period.

In the grace period, 7,000 warnings were issued, according to city Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

“It is really about driving compliance because what we are trying to do is restore dignity and order back to the streets,” Tisch said.

Businesses that are found to be in violation of the trash container rules will get fined, starting at $50 for a first offense. They will then be fined $100 for a second offense and $200 for all subsequent offenses. 

The city says this is all part of an attempt to keep streets clean and clear of black trash bags, while mitigating the city's rat problem.

Tisch said New York is following the lead of other major cities and trying to containerize trash.

“We want to get all 44 million pounds of trash left on our curbs every day off of the sidewalk and into containers,” Tisch said.

As for Garber Schoen, he has his container outside his store chained to a bike rack to keep it secure.

“It doesn’t hog the whole thing so we can still use it for bikes. But yeah, it’s important because otherwise these cans are expensive,” Garber Schoen said.

Garber Schoen said the containers can cost hundreds of dollars.