The Commonwealth Ave Mall will soon see new and improved “rodent-resistant” trash bins. The Parks Department has begun installing sleek new black trash bins along the park on Commonwealth Avenue between Arlington Street and Charlesgate East, as part of its wider plan to try to curb rodent activity.

“The bins we’re using, the Victor Stanley REN-45SDTD, are the same model we’ve been rolling out in parks across the city,” a spokesperson for the department said. “They’re part of our larger, ongoing effort to upgrade trash receptacles citywide, and so far they’ve shown strong resistance to rodents.”

“Key design features make them rodent-resistant. They’re made of durable powder-coated steel that’s difficult to chew through, have a convex lid that allows for easy disposal while limiting access for rodents and are built with tight seams and secure hardware that prevent gaps or weak points.”

Margaret Pokorny, a board member of the Friends of the Public Garden, also noted that the bins are more accessible, and “very photogenic.”

“They replaced the old barrels which were reaching their end of usefulness due to rust and disrepair,” Pokorny wrote. “They are also considered to be more handicapped accessible since they are lower than the previous ones. We are very grateful to the Parks Department for this.”

Victor Stanley, the company that manufactures the bin, describes it as “a classic, minimalist look inspired by Scandinavian design aesthetics.” It doesn’t explicitly say anything about rodents.

The anti-rodent durability, however, is hampered by the wide-open unprotected hole at the top of the bin. The Parks Department could not answer how this massive hole impacts the can’s resistance to rats.

“An enterprising rat could certainly climb the side and go into the container,” Pokorny said. “These are more secure in terms of the gate and opening mechanism, and the top is slanted and somewhat lower to make the more handicapped accessible, but they are not sealed against rodents. We can only hope that the good residents of Back Bay will not put household trash that contains food stuffs into these containers. The opening at the top is smaller to discourage this, but nothing is perfect!”

Sealed receptacles are not out of the question. Other areas of the city have seen more intense forms of trash can to try to combat the ever-increasing rat population. In the North End last year, for example, the city installed fully enclosed trash cans with a foot pedal, which officials at the time said both discouraged people from disposing the household trash that tends to attract rodents and prevented birds from getting into the receptacles and dropping food on the ground for rats to find.

“Probably the only kind of trash barrel used on city property that is rodent tight are those big ones that have a handle on the front that opens a door to the barrel and then closes again,” Pokorny said. Public procurement records show that the city only has around 550 of these barrels.

The cost of these new Victor Stanley barrels, however, is unclear. In May 2024, the city awarded the company a contract titled “Trash Receptacles for Boston Common” for around $99,000. It did not list how many cans that contract would cover.