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Refuse-collection Difficulties
Page 105
Page 106
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in a widespread area
How 64,000 tons of Dry Refuse are Annually Collected and Disposed of in Stoke-on-Trent, the Centre of the Six-town District
THE collection and disposal of refuse in a large industrial centre is a matter that calls for the eareful organization of daily routine if efficiency and low costs are to be achieved. in a district where the populous areas are somewhat spreadeaglet], the difficulties are great, for it is impossible to have a really satisfactory centralized scheme.
Such a place is Stoke-on-Trent, which, as everyone is aware, is the centre of the well-known six-town group including Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Fenton and Longton. The district covered is approximately rectangular it shape, and measures 11 miles from end te end and from 3 miles to 5 miles wide ; it embraces an area of 21,190 acres, whilst there is a population of 276,600 residing in 60,650 premises.
Sub-divided Collection Areas.
Each of the six towns, has its own depot with sub-divided collection areas, the total number of these amounting to 28. The yield of refuse of 64,000 tons annually. is disposed of by controlled tipping and incineration, the proportions being approximately 75 per cent. and 25 per cent. respectively.
The foregoing outline gives some idea. of the work involved in collection. During 1932, mechanical vehicles dealt with 66 per cent, of the total volume of refuse, horse-drawn carts being used for the remaining 34 per cent. Last year, the cost of collection and disposal 'worked out at £526 per 1,000 houses, whilst in 1929, when equal amoisits of material were dealt with by mechanical and horse-drawn vehicles, the equivalent cost was 1556.
At the present time, 20 mecnanical vehicles are employed, 18 being in continual use, whilst two are keptin the depot in readiness to replace a service machine should the necessity arise. There are three S.D. Freighters for 7 cubic yds., a Napier with a 6-cubicyd. body, a Daimler open lorry. capable of dealing with 5 cubic yds. of refuse, 14 Vulcans of various sizes and an Electricar 30-cwt. machine, besides 19 horsedrawn carts, each of which has a capacity of 3 cubic yds.
Superiority of Motors Over Horses.
An interesting point arose during our talk with Mr. Totty, the city engineer. Ile said that 'after many years' experience in the collection of refuse in the Stoke district, the efficiency and low operating costs of mechanical vehicles are unquestionably superior to those of horse-drawn carts, even in thickly populated industrial districts, where the tonmileage factor is high."
To prove the point, Mr. Totty quoted the figures of Ss. 51d. per ton as the average collection cost for the mechanical fleet, as against 9s. ld. per ton for horse-drawn equipment ; these figures do not include administrative charges, but they are clearly indicative of the working expenses.
On an average, each of the vehicles completes about 150 miles per week, making a total weekly mileage for the fleet of 2,700. The average rate of fuel consumption for the S.D. Freighters and the forward-control Vulcans works out at 6.25 m.p.g., the larger Vulean.snodels (2-tonners) cover 5.35 m.p.g. and the Daimler and Napier machines 4.7 m.p.g. and 5 ni,P.g. respectively. iThese figures must be considered highly satisfactory when the nature of the work involved is taken into account.
The illustrations give a fair idea of the machines employed. Of the Vulcan equipment, seven vehicles are of the 35cut. forward-control type, with bodies 12 ft. 6 ins, long, 6 ft. 3 ins. (front) and 6 ft. 6 ins. (rear) wide, with 1-ft. 9-in. sides. They are capable of tipping to an angle of 50 degrees, and the loading height is 4 ft. 8 ins. unladen. The fleet of five Vulcan 2-tonners has recently been modernized by fitting arched-top canvas covers to the containers. The loading height (unladen) of these machines is 4 ft. 10 ins.
Mr. Totty is of the opinion that, in the Stoke district at any rate, vehicles with very large bodies offer no advantage over the 6-cubic-yd. to 7-cubicyd. type, for there is a psychological effect upon the loaders which has to be considered. This means that, with a moderately sized vehicle, the required loading effort to fill the container ix
just about, suited to the capacit54 of the operators, when the spells of rest during the journeys to and from the tip are taken into account. 1t, follows, therefore, that there is an economical limit beyond which no appreciable advantage is obtained by any increase in container size, unless additional loaders are employed.
It may be pointed out that Stoke-onTrent is an " all-bin" city, there being no ashpits now in use. Although practically all sanitation is carried out through the local sewage department, there is still a certain amount of nightsoil collection and disposal work to be carried out. This is done by a Vulcan 30 cwt. general-purpose lorry, the body of which has been built by the staff mechanics.
In the daytime, this vehicle carries out miscellaneous work, including " rush-time" refuse collection, whilst, at night, a tank having a capacity for 30-cwt. of liquid is fitted, the conversion normally occupying about 10 minutes.
Four years ago, a ' workshop was set up, which, staffed by three machines and a painter, has effected considerable econ omks in operation. At the present time the paintshop and workshop are in separate districts, but a scheme is now on foot to centralize the whole undertaking, and it is hoped that even lower working costs will result.
Earlier in this article it was men tioned that a proportion of the collected refuse was inciner stet], the quantity thus disposed of amounting to about 16,000 tong annually. The heat generated is used to raise steam for driving mortar mills, hydraulic presses, etc., for making concrete paving slabs—the byproducts being derived from the clinker out of the furnaces. Steam is also supplied for the local disinfecting station and for making manure ferti users out of fish and meat offals. These by-products materially reduce the overall costs of the department.
.During our visit to the workshop we were shown a snow-plough of Mr. Totty'a own design. It is designed to fit on to one of the refuse-collection vehicles, and during the recent heavy fall of snow proved itself to be an efficient machine. As the accompanying illustration indicates, the plough is fixed to the front of a vehicle, the angularly placed clearing-plate being springloaded on to a triangulated structure in such a manner that when a gully or projecting culvert is encountered, the plate hinges upwards and so clears the obstruction.
It is stated that a depth of 12 ins, of wet snow has recently been dealt with quite satisfactorily, the vehicle speed varying between 5 m.p.h. and 12 m.p.h., according to circumstances along the highway.