A NEW METHOD OF REFUSE COLLECTION.
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Heiw the Most Expensive Item of a Collecting System can be Made to Develop the Maximum of Efficiency.
THAT THE possibilities of vastly Mi. proving present methods of houserefuse collection and of effecting economies in it have not yet been exhausted was convincingly demonstrated before the mernbers of the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers, who were gathered together in London last week at the instance of the Borough Councils of Holborn and St. Paneras, Mr. E. F. Spurrell, the borough surveyor of Holborn, aiming to show, in a practical manner, his idea el an improved method. The•prasent systems are a long .vity from being efficient. They, of course, ensure the collection of the refuse, but at, too high a cost in time and labour; and with a certain amount of ineouvenience to thepu.blle, which is capable of being diminished.
Spurrell'a idea is to have a regular collection of bins, rectangular in form; the full or partially full bins being taken away and empty bins being left in their place, the bin containing the refuse being placed by the householder on the kerb before the stated hour of collection.
Great savings, of course, are effected— firstly, in the time occupied in collection ;r and,. secondly, by the utilization of the' capabilities of the motor vehicle. • The great loss in connection with the use of expensive transport vehicles, such as motor vehicles, occurs ill the timei which has to be idled away whilst the, refuse is being brought from the point where the householder collects or stores it to t,he kerbsidp.• If. the householder can be got to place the refuse bin at the kerbside, all the motor vehicle has to do is to travel along, making momentary stops at each bin, whilst one man on the kerb lefts up the full bin and hands it to the man on the lorry, the latter handing down in exchange the empty bin. This entails the, employment of three men, including the driver, and the amount of work they can get through by a proper co-ordination of effort such' as that described represents a substantial increase on anything hitherto accomplished.
In order to make the utmost use of the lorry platform, the bins, as we have said, should be rectangular, They can be placed four in the width and from eight to nine in the length, thus giving a platform capacity of from 32 to 36 bins, whilst they can be stacked 'tiv.6' deep. Each bin-, as demonstrated by Mr. Spur reit, had a capacity of cwt.,which would only give a total lorry capacity of from 32 cwt•to 36 cwt,, but, if a vehicle with a low loading line be utilized, there is no reason why a third tier (more or less complete) should not be arraoged; when perhaps a.load-of 50 cwt. could be accommodated. In this matter of lead Capacity, therefore, the system would not be so Economical as if the refuse were shot into the vehicle in bulk, but the saving in time in loading would be so -substantial as to excuse the Entailer load. At the same time, the bins being closed by lids, refuse would not be blown about the streets, and what is unquestionably a detriment to health, apart from being an unpleasant circumstance, would be entirely avoided. One point of ebjection occurred to us whilst watchinf the demonstration, :Intl that was the size of the bin, for it had been deeided that a L-cwt. bin is about the right capacity for the men to handle. In that case, it is obvious that this matter of collection would have to be confined to certain streets, because, in the poorer distaicta, a bin of that size per householder would hardly, be necessary, mid, moreover, Would, when loaded, constitute apackage too heavy and awkward for any but the strongest person to 'handle Hence, in many cases it would be found that the collectors would still have to go and fetch the bins from the house or tenement.
Mr. SparrelPs idea is to put this method up for discussion amongst municipaland county engineers, and we certainly think that, if properly worked out, it will constitute an improvement upon anything which is being done at present, but, of conrse, only in certain areas and in certain streets to which the f.ew type of collection would he suitable.