This is the exact sort of thing that rats simply love.  Garbage can lids open, food product showing, cardboard.  Birds even like it too because they know, behind those plastic bags, there are morsels of food and other goodies. If you want to clean the rats infestations in your neighborhood then we suggest you start with keeping your garbage can lids closed and do not put garbage outside of the garbage cart.  That’s for starters. By the way, each of these open carts could get a ticket in Chicago.  That is, if you have a Ward Superintendent or Refuse Collection Coordinator (RCC) that’s doing the job properly.