The subway in New York has a garbage problem. People are throwing too much garbage on the subway trains and tracks. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has tried a few ways to reduce the garbage on the tracks, but their next solution may be to ban food on the trains.

Garbage causes big problems for the MTA and passengers. On July 17, garbage on the tracks near the 145th Street station in Manhattan caused a fire that sent nine people to the hospital and caused delays for many people who were trying to get to work.

MTA’s chairman Joseph J. Lhota pointed to the eating habits of New Yorkers as the cause of the garbage problem. Many people eat on the New York subway. On a given train, people can be seen eating anything from fast food and pizza, to Chinese take-out. Some passengers don’t clean up after themselves when they’re done eating – the left-behind garbage causes fires and attracts rats. There currently aren’t any rules forbidding food on MTA trains. According to The New York Times, Lhota suggests changing that.

“It may be an education program about what types of foods really shouldn’t be brought on,” said Lhota. It’s possible the MTA will not ban all food, but may ask riders not to eat messy food or food that attracts rats and is hard to clean up.

Transit authorities in some US cities ban eating and drinking on trains and in the stations. Passengers are prohibited from eating or drinking on trains in Washington, DC. It’s also against the rules to eat or drink on trains or buses in San Francisco, though many people ignore the rules.

Critics of the suggested food ban on New York trains say it will be hard to enforce. Gene Russianoff leads the Straphangers Campaign, a rider advocacy group. Russianoff defended subway riders who eat on the train: “There are people who have no choice – they’re going from work to school.”

In 2012, Lhota himself said banning eating on trains would hurt some communities, and that many children have their morning meal on the subway.

It’s already illegal to litter or throw garbage on New York trains, stations, and tracks. If caught and ticketed for littering, a person could pay up to $250 (about ¥28,000) in fines. Though, these laws are not strictly enforced.

In 2016, a new cleaning program called “Operation Track Sweep” was launched by the MTA. The program increased the cleaning efforts at the subway stations and resulted in a 41% reduction in track fires. Other cleanup efforts include buying three more vacuum trains, which are designed to pick up garbage from the tracks and prevent fires.

The subway in New York may tell people to stop eating on the trains. This is because the New York subway has a garbage problem. People are leaving garbage on the subway trains and train tracks. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) runs the New York subway. They tried a few ways to fix the garbage problem, but now they may stop people from eating food on the trains.

Garbage causes big problems for the MTA and passengers. On July 17, garbage caused a fire near the 145th Street station in Manhattan. Nine people were sent to the hospital, and many people couldn’t get to work on time.

Many people eat on the New York subway. On many trains, people eat many kinds of food: fast food, pizza, and even Chinese take-out. Some passengers don’t clean up after themselves when they’re done eating, and the garbage they leave can cause fires.

MTA’s chairman Joseph J. Lhota said that some New Yorkers who eat on the train are the cause of the garbage problem. Right now, there aren’t any rules against eating food on MTA trains. According to The New York Times, Lhota talked about making some new rules.

Lhota said the MTA might make “an education program about what types of foods really shouldn’t be brought on.” The MTA also might not make a rule against all food on the train. The MTA may just ask riders not to eat food that is hard to clean up.

Some US cities do not let passengers eat or drink on trains and in the stations. Passengers can’t eat or drink on trains in Washington, DC. It’s also against the rules to eat or drink on buses in San Francisco. However, many people don’t follow the rules, and still eat on the bus.

Some people say that it will be too difficult to stop people from bringing food on the trains in New York City. Gene Russianoff is with the Straphangers Campaign, a group that speaks for subway passengers. Russianoff defended subway riders who eat on the train, saying: “There are people who have no choice – they’re going from work to school.”

In 2012, Lhota himself said making a new rule against eating on trains would hurt some communities, and that many children have their morning meal on the subway.

It’s already against the law to leave garbage on New York trains, in stations, and on train tracks. If the MTA catches people leaving garbage in these places, that person could pay up to $250 (about ¥28,000). Though, the MTA doesn’t spend much time looking for people who leave garbage.

In 2016, the MTA started a new cleaning program. The program increased cleaning at the subway stations. This resulted in a 41% less fires on train tracks. The MTA also bought three more vacuum trains, which clean up garbage from the tracks.