Rats

Rats are part of urban nature, but they are increasingly causing a nuisance. They can spread diseases and they gnaw a lot of things to pieces. Preventing rats is a lot easier than fighting them. That is why it is important to keep the city clean. Will you help?

What can you do to prevent rats?

  • Please observe the city’s feeding ban. You may not feed animals outside your own property. The leftover food attracts rats. For further explanation, see Participate | Feeding ban .
  • Do not throw trash or food scraps on the street.
  • Put your garbage bags in the container. Do not put bags or loose garbage next to it, because litter also attracts rats.
  • Store your pet's food properly. Do not leave food lying around in and around your home/building.
  • Store garbage in closed containers and lockable trash cans.
  • Seal holes and cracks in and around the home. Make sure rats cannot hide under or in anything.
  • Repair or replace broken sewer pipes, drainpipes, ventilation grilles and tiles.
  • Are you a tenant? Your landlord is responsible for the proper maintenance of the property. Therefore, report rat nuisance to your landlord, in connection with repairs.
  • For more information and tips, visit KAD | Rats and Mice .

Also report the nuisance to the municipality via the contact form or the BuitenBeter app . If necessary, the municipality will take measures in the public area.

What to do with old bread and food leftovers?

Do you have old bread or food leftovers and do you think it's a waste to throw them away? Don't feed them to the animals on the street or in the park, but put them in the Vegetable, Fruit, Garden and Food Waste container (GFT+E). By throwing food leftovers away here, they are reused. For example, biogas or compost is made from them. To make it as easy as possible for you, you can pick up a free GFT+E waste bin at the City Hall or at the Self-delivery depot at the Argonstraat .

Report rat nuisance

Are you having trouble with rats on your own property? Then call in a pest control company. There are several companies in and around Zoetermeer that can help you. Look at KAD , NVPB or PPN for more information.

Do you see a rat in a public space, for example on the street or in the park? Then report it via the contact form or the BuitenBeter app . After a report, we will investigate the situation and take measures if necessary. We try to do this in the most animal-friendly way possible. First of all, we limit the food available and places where rats hide. If these measures do not help (enough), we set traps. In extreme cases, we use chemical pesticides. For more information about reporting, see Reporting living and residential environment (public space) .