What It Costs to Collect the Nation's Refuse
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QF 334 municipalities listed by the Ministry of Health, 123 use only motors for refuse collection, 69 employ to some extent the container.system, whilst, only seven rely solely upon horses. The "one-horse towns" are Stoke Newington, Jarrow, Hereford, Thornhy-on-Tees, Ashford, Illudley and Darlaston.
These figures are culled from the returns of the cost of public cleansing for the year ended March 31, 1936, issued by the Ministry of Health and published by H.M. Stationery Office, at Is. 6d.
The tables in this publication have been compiled from returns furnished by focal authorities of the larger urban areas in England and Wales. The returns relating to refuse collection and disposal were obtained from 363 municipalities, and those referring to street cleansing from 358 authorities.
10s. 10c1. a Ton.
According to statistics from areas in which accurate records of the weight of refuse dealt with are kept, it appears that the cost per ton of collection and disposal of refuse was 16s. 10d. in 1935-36, as compared with 17s. ld. a year earlier. It may well be that the transition from horses to motors has had its effect in reducing expenses. The weight of refuse dealt with increased by about 260,000 tons, the weight per 1,000 persons per day rising from 14.2 cwt. to 14.9 cwt.
Expenditure of all local authorities in England and Wales falling on public funds in 1934-35 (the latest year for which full particulars are available), in respect of the collection and disposal of refuse and street cleansing, amounted A36 to £10,700,000, against £10,600,000 in the previous year.
The following average figures relate to the annual cost of collection and disposal per 1,000 of population :-106 boroughs with population of under 30,000, £157; 103 boroughs (30,00050,000 population), £175; 83 boroughs (50,000-100,000 population), £200; 45 boroughs (100,000-200,000 population), £215; 25 boroughs (200,000 and over population), £216. Average yearly cost : 362 boroughs, £201.
The average cost per 1,000 houses is as follows :-Under 30,000 population (107 boroughs), £625; 30,000-50,000 population (102 boroughs), £639; 50,000-100,000 population (83 boroughs), £736; 100,000-200,000 population (45 boroughs), £862; 200,000 and over population (25 boroughs), £837. Average yearly cost 362 boroughs, £770.
A table showing weights of refuse collected in London, at seaside holiday resorts, in mining towns and in other towns, reveals that the greatest average weight collected per 1,000 of population per day was recorded by one of the London boroughs, with a population of under 50,000, which returned a figure of 33.8 cwt. A mining town, with a population of under 90,000, took second place, with a figure of 22.7 cwt.
The average weight of refuse collected per 1,000 of population per day was 15.5 cwt. in London, 16 cwt. at seaside holiday resorts, 16.4 cwt. in the mining towns and 14.4 cwt. in other towns.
These figures relate only to towns in which 80 per cent, or more of the refuse was actually weighed.
Including loan or depreciation charges and expenditure on new plant purchased out of revenue, but deductitig income, the average cost per ton of refuse collection and disposal in boroughs and districts in which 80 per cent. or more of the waste was actually weighed was as follows: Under 30,000 population (18 boroughs), 15s. 6d.; 30,000-50,000 population (28 boroughs), 16s. 2d.; 50,000-100,000 population (36 boroughs), 17s. 5d.; 100,000-200,000 population (24 boroughs), 17s. 9d.; over 200,000 population (13 boroughs), 16s. 2d.; average cost per ton (119 boroughs), 16s. 10d.
Costs of Collection.
Actual costs of collection in the above-mentioned population categories were : -10s. 9d. (17 boroughs); 10s. 6d. (27 boroughs); 10s. 7d. (35 boroughs); 1 Is. 4d. (24 boroughs); 9s. 10d. (11 boroughs); average, 10s. 6d. (114 boroughs). .
In municipalities in which less than 80 per cent. of the refuse was actually weighed, the average cost per ton of collection and disposal, including loan and depreciation charges and the cost of plant purchased out of revenue, but excluding income, was us. This return is obtained from an average of the cost of 237 municipalities. The actual collection cost was 8s. 5d. (219 boroughs).