New Yorkers should thank bugs, including ants and cockroaches, because they keep their beloved Big Apple clean.

Researchers from North Carolina State University discovered that New York's hungry urban arthropods are a vital part of the city's garbage disposal system. They said insects at the Broadway/West St. corridor devour 60,000 hot dogs a year, or the equivalent of 2,100 pounds (950 kilograms) of food waste each year.

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To evaluate how much discarded food bugs get rid of, researchers placed measured amounts of hot dogs, potato chips and cookies at 21 park sites and 24 street medians. They returned to the areas after 24 hours to check how much of the food was eaten.

"The ants and arthropods in medians ate two to three times more food than the ones in parks, which was surprising to us because parks do have a higher diversity of ants and other animals," said researcher Dr. Elsa Youngsteadt.

They found out that location is an important factor in garbage consumption compared to biodiversity. The study suggests bugs ate up to three times more food in the streets compared to parks.

"This isn't just a silly fact. This highlights a very real service that these arthropods provide. They effectively dispose of our trash for us," Dr. Youngsteadt added.

Researchers believe the biggest eaters are ants. They also suggest ants and rats are competitors in eating human garbage. Dr. Youngsteadt said ants aren't just helping The Big Apple keep clean, but are also reducing the rat population by starving them of food.

The study was published in the journal, Global Change Biology.

TagsNYC, New York City, Big Apple, Bugs Keep New York City Clean Eating Garbage, Bugs eat human garbage, Ants, Bugs, Insects, rats, arthropods, food waste, Garbage