Problems Posed by Snow and Dust
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THE irritation, danger and economic loss caused to the community through intense snowfalls such as those experienced in the winter of 1962/3 were tremendous, said Mr. Alan E. Barton in his presidential address to the 65th annual conference of the Institute of Public Cleansing, which opened at Southport on Tuesday. Despite inquests into the matter the effort to deal with snow under chaos conditions made little headway. Snow removal was something that could not be shrugged off as impracticable. If there was determination to deal with the problem the cost should not be the first consideration but perhaps the last. Was there not a case for under-road heating?
Street cleansing was a service that at first glance might not appear to have advanced greatly over the years, but more and more mechanization was taking place. The sweeper-collector was tending to become a suction-system roadsweeper and if this could be made 100 per cent efficient there were limitless opportunities. Britain had a long way to go before the public became as litter conscious as some parts of the Continent and litter campaigns must not be allowed to falter.
Much of the advance in public cleansing during the 65 years the I.P.C. had been in existence had been achieved with the help of manufacturers. Cleansing officers could not work without the correct tools and the efforts of their specialist section of industry should not pass without notice.
The foresight of early cleansing officers was stressed by Mr. Barton, who quoted from a resolution passed 64 years ago: The annual conference of the cleansing superintendents of Great Britain assembled in Glasgow this seventh day of September. 1899, is of opinion that recent developments in the construction of motor vehicles justify the gradual introduction of self-propelled vehicles in several branches of cleansing operations, and this meeting recommends municipal, urban and other authorities to take the question into their serious consideration ". Costs were given of eight months' experience of running a motor specially purchased at the cost of £500 from the Lancashire Steam Motor Co. of Leyland.
Dustless Collection System
Birmingham was fully converted to the idea of a dustless collection system and over a period of years the scheme would be extended throughout the city, said Mr. John C. Jorden, deputy general manager of the Birmingham Salvage Department. Some four and a half years had elapsed since the first collections were made in Birmingham under this scheme and working conditions for the refuse collectors had improved beyond measure. Heavy manual effort had been eliminated and what was once a dirty, unpleasant task was now an acceptable job to which men were attracted. With the remuneration made worthwhile there was no reason why local authorities, dealing with refuse collection, should not stand an equal chance with industry in recruitment of labour.
With all refuse contained in the bin neither public nor collectors need see any during the loading process. The use of the hinged lid meant that refuse which was dry remained so. The system was welcomed by the public as being most hygienic and the only item on the opposite side of the account was the additional cost. However, from the outset it was recognized that, if revolutionary changes were to be made in the interest of public health, extra expenditure must be accepted as the consequence.
Increased Costs
The Midland city's increased costs might well be proportionately greater than many because under the old system only a small minority of bins were taken to the vehicle, the bulk of the collections being performed under the skcp system. Thus the walks between house and vehicle were now doubled. Inevitably special vehicles and bins were more expensive than conventional designs, the price of the former being just under £5,000 each. Trolleys having the required strength to deal with the heavier bins cost £5-£6 but, so far as Birmingham was concerned, the saving on skeps was greater than the expenditure on trolleys. Statistics showed that the average cost per collection was 16.19d., including 1.21d. for bin depreciation—which was on a 10-year basis— although experience suggested this period of use was likely to be greatly extended. The comparative figure for the skep method was 12.51d., including 0.62d. as the cost of the standard B.S.S. bin dep-eciated on the 10-year basis. After starting with a pilot scheme in January-June. 1959 (this covering 12,587 premises) the dustless system had progressed until at December 31 last, 94,832 premises were covered.
Supply of Vehicles
When setting up the pilot scheme the field for supply of vehicles was ultimately narrowed to the Eagle Engineering Co. Ltd. and Glover, Webb and Liversidge Ltd. The former possessed a licence from German manufacturers to produce the Kuka body in Britain and completion of the machine to the dustless stage was effected by fitting the mechanical loading shutter produced by Zoller-Kipper of Mainz. Glovers arranged to produce the Haller (Stuttgart) body, completed by use of the Zoller shutter. Initially, orders were placed for both types of vehicle. The present dustless section of the fleet is made up of 44 Haller and 18 Kuka designs. With one exception all vehicles used in this connection have the B.M.C. 7-ton chassis and 5-1-litre oil engine.
The B.M.C. diesel engine had proved quite satisfactory for operational requirements and practical experience with the vehicles had enabled an efficient and economical maintenance programme to be drawn up, all work being carried out in the department's workshops. Engine oil analysis over a period showed that an average oil-change figure of 1,500 miles was acceptable and with the necessity for stringent control of engine performance and exhaust emission, injectors and fuel pumps were checked regularly. The exhaust pipe had been taken up behind the cab to discharge from an overhead position.
Dynamo output in operational speed conditions presented a problem and in order to increase the output the pulley diameter was reduced, which enabled the dynamo to maintain any normal demands. There had been further developments in this connection with alternators to increase output at the lower speed range.
thereby enabling the battery requirements to be met adequately. Engine sump heaters were fitted for winter Use to facilitate starting and to maintain a reasonable engine temperature. Excessive facing wear in clutches was a problem that could be expected with most stop-start operations and, after experiments to obtain a tough and durable facing, the later models in the fleet had an improved design which was expected to give an extended performance. Heavy demands were made on the power takeoff, especially through careless use, and modifications had been carried out to prevent overloading by restricting the throttle opening when engaged. Additionally, a new unit had been designed which showed considerable promise in its early results.
Bin-emptying Device Very little trouble had been experienced with the Zoller bin-emptying device, which had proved to be most efficient. In the early days there was a slight emission of dust from the mechanical shutter when the bins were emptied, but this was eliminated by fitting an exhaust fan inside the body. As it was essential for the aperture and rim of the Zoller shutter to be kept completely free from dust if it was to function properly, a small brush was issued to each vehicle team for the purpose of cleaning the shutter before commencing each load.
Considerable thought had been given to the vehicle cab in order to ensure efficiency in the operation of the vehicle and at the same time provide adequate accommodation for the crew. The cab was specially constructed to provide seats for five men behind the driver and reserve driver. This rear portion was provided with a door on the nearside only, so as to prevent accidents with men alighting on the off-side into the path of other traffic. A combined heater/ cold-air unit was installed which added to the driver's comfort, whilst the other members of the crew also obtained advantage from it when travelling from and to the disposal works. The largearea traffic mirrors were braced to cancel vibration effects. Batteries had been removed from beneath the crew bench seat and repositioned in a compartment accessible from outside the cab, from which they could be withdrawn on a sliding base. This arrangement not only permitted easy maintenance but allowed extra space for crew clothing beneath the seat.
One of the important features of the collection system was the trolley, and early on a standard commercial design was used; however, frame breakages quickly occurred. Daily travel could be up to 10 miles with loads of 50-80 lb. Experiments showed that the most suitable type was one having a square tube B36 pillar with a solid steel axle, strengthened by steel webs at the junction between axle and pillar. In order to meet demands in respect of bulky refuse the dustless vehicles had been given a largecapacity rack over the cab.
The introduction of a dustless refuse collection system in Birmingham could be regarded as a logical part of the policy of the Salvage Committee which considered that every attention should be paid to the welfare of the employees. Amongst the measures taken in this respect was the provision of locker rooms, clothes-drying rooms, shower baths and first-rate dining rooms. With these facilities a man could come to work clean and tidy, change into his working clothes which he kept in his personal locker, strip off and have a shower bath at the end of the day, get his refreshment in the dining room and go home as clean and tidy as he came to work.
'CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PUBLIC CLEANSING SERVICE'
Consideration should be given jointly by the Institute of Public Cleansing and the Public Health Inspectors' Association to the creation of week-end courses, summer schools or a correspondence course, for the study of public cleansing, said Mr. F. Roberts, cleansing and transport superintendent, Birkenhead, in his paper on "Career Opportunities in the Public Cleansing Service". By these means much of the difficulty regarding day release over an extended period would be obviated. As an alternative, arrangements could be made for small groups of public health inspectors to visit the larger authorities nearby in order to study up-to-date methods. Surely it was not beyond the wit of the two professional bodies to arrange for invitations on a reciprocal basis to the various centre meetings, when the subjects under discussion were of mutual interest, said Mr. Roberts.
The possibility of introducing modern postal tuition courses should not be overlooked. These courses would be especially useful for the student who was employed by a local authority not within easy reach of one of the established training colleges. But there were disadvantages. There was an impersonal relationship between tutor and student. Inevitably there were bound to be delays in the return of corrected homework. Lacking personal contact with a tutor the student must devote more time to private reading and research on his subject. A postal tuition course did not compare favourably with the technical college course. On the other hand it was realized that many serving officers or students were too far from the various technical colleges to take advantage of the latter. Before, however, the Institute of Public Cleansing entered into preparation of any postal tuition course, some guide as to the demand for it would be necessary.
Many Overseas Students Many overseas students had been accepted by the examination board for training in this country. No charge was made for the tuition given, provided their visit (generally for periods varying from six months to two years) was sponsored by the World Health Organization, or by their respective government departments. The examination board made every endeavour to place them with one of the major cleansing departments in this country for their general training. Arrangements were made for them to visit other towns and cities, particularly those which operated specialist plant or equipment, or were engaged on one or other of the research projects.
This scheme for training overseas students had proved very successful. In recent years they had been accepted from such places as the West Indies, Ghana, Hong Kong, Malaya, Malta, Colombo, India and Aden. They had probably done more for these overseas students than for their own people. The curriculum included administration; refuse collection, demonstrating all 'types of vehicles and systems in operation; refuse disposal, covering separation and incineration, separation and transfer loading, separation and composting; controlled tipping and all aspects of salvage work. The overseas student was also given training in the methods of mechanical and manual street cleansing, including street washing, together with periods in the fitting, metal-working, bodybuilding, electrical and paint shops. Repair and maintenance systems were fully explained to them and copies of all relevant forms were supplied. Where any of these services were not carried out by the authority to which the overseas student was attached, arrangements were made for him to visit those towns where such specialist plant or equipment was in use.
The 1.P.C. Conference programme also included papers on "Solid Waste Research in the U.S.A.", by Mr. R. J. Black, senior sanitary engineer of the U.S.A. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and "Provision and Maintenance of Refuse Disposal Plant ", by Mr. J. Skitt, director of public cleansing, Blackpool. "New Land for Old (Reclamation of Derelict Sites)", by Mr. U_ Aylmer Coates, Lancashire county planning officer, is to be presented this morning.
A commentary on the I.P.C. vehicle demonstration, held on Wednesday, and yesterday's exhibition of earth-moving equipment, will appear in next week's issue of The Commercial Motor.