Public Cleansing at Utrecht
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THE Director of Public Cleansing, Utrecht, Holland, Mr. C. A. de Monye, deals in his paper with public cleansing work, with special reference to Utrecht. This is an old university town on the banks of the Rhine, the fourth in importance in Holland.
In 1918 the author inherited an organization which had not been overhauled for 40 years. Everything centred, at the municipal refuse dump. • The refuse was carried by horse-drawn vehicles and transhipped from seven loading wharves to canal barges, to be towed to the dump. The dumps were insanitary and rat-infested. To reorganize, the town was divided into three districts. Experiments proved that horsed-transport costs increased with length of haul, and it was necessary to introduce motor vehicles. The choice made was the Faun electric, with motors in two of the wheels ; they carried 10 cubic yds. and are doing well after 10 years' service.
The wharves were dispensed with, but some horsed transport had to be kept, because of narrow streets., Heavy vehicles cannot be used in streets alongside the canals, because shops there have cellars extending to the wharves.
The sections were reduced from 76 to 44, 28 for mechanical vehicles and 16 for horses. For 25 years Utrecht had a large pail system, the pails being changed two or three times a week. This was replaced by water closets draining into cesspools. There are 20,000 of these, and 40 are cleansed per day. Six 700-gallon motor cesspool emptiers were used.
For sweeping and watering there are three sWeeping and three watering vehicles, so that the new scheme in -. volved the purchase of 26 new motors, also the erection of new offices, garage and workshop. The total cost was £72,000, but the number of workmen was reduced from 320 to 240, and the horses from 100 to 45, so that the annual working expenses are reduced.
Since then, two more cesspool emptiers and eight threewheeled motors for the collection of sweepings and gully contents, have been added, but the horses decreased to SO.
About 50 per cent. of the unsaleable refuse is carried by boat to a lake five miles away and dumped ; controlled tipping is employed. The water is 4-5 yds. deep, but refuse is tipped to 2 yds. above water level. The exposed surface is covered with sweepings and dredgings; thus fly breeding and feeding are prevented. In three years 800 sq. yds. of arable land have been made.
I The other 50 per cent, is boated away privately by men who find suitable tipping places on farms around 'Utrecht.
Up to 1927 refuse was collected three times a week, but experiments showed that 35 per cent, of householders did not place their dustbins outside on each collecting day, so that the collection period was reduced to twice weekly. Every receptacle must be placed on the edge of the footpath.
The author offers the suggestion that the important work of standardizing cleansing data should be referred to a committee of experts.