Cleansing Men's Post-war Plans
Page 32
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Two Well-known Members of the Institute of Public Cleansing Presented Valuable Papers at that Body's Ann,ual Conference
THE Forty-fifth Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Cleansing was held on August 27 at the Connaught Rooms, London, W.C.1,
and was well attended. Owing to limitations on time the subjects of the -four papers were merely introduced by their writers. Two of the topics hardly concern this journal, but we deal briefly with the others.
The author of the paper on refuse collection is Mr, J. E. Spencer, Cleansing and Transport Officer, Poplar. He said that the present need Was to be abld to arrive at conclusions as to the effects likely to be produced by changes in the general standard of living, amenity and local government, which will be powerful post-war factors.
The question of storage is inseparable from the subject of refuse collection, and, often, a governing factor. It will be agreed that the portable galvanized bin, of tapered design, is the best sanitary appliance for temporary storage. The facility with which it can be handled is a big factor in its favour; it is also cheap and durable. The British Standard Specification for mild-steel .dustbins has been of incalculable value.
No fixed ashpits should be permitted, as it is invariably found, in practice, that the weight of refuse is less where bins are in use. In fact; the latter are S instrumental in introducing an econo
mic restriction. , The submission of plans and particulars of proposed schemes of refuse storage and facilities for collection must be enforced by the local authority as a post-war measure. ..
Bin-washing is a matter of domestic hygiene and should rightly be undertaken by the occupier of the premises.
Salvage Must be Continued
Da.re we, in the near future, ignore the insistent demands for the direction of considerable quantities of salvage into the proper channels of recovery?
The possession of a mechanical salvage plant in connection with the disposal of refuse will not be the only desideratum; preseparation at the collection premises must lie a concomitant factor and instrumental in increasing the salvage recovery of the local authority which does not possess a recovery plant.
The :public has every reason to be aggrieved by the sight of the older methods of collection, and there will -be a disinclination on its part to tolerate them much longer.
From the point of view of environmental hygiene, the author submits that the contents of a bin should not be discharged into another container on the premises, but the bin itself should be brought out and emptied direct into the collection-vehicle. In no circumstances should refuse be carried through a dwelling-house or business premises without being properly covered.
Bin-changing has not been introduced here to any marked extent. Its special advantage is the elimination of a double journey for the dustmen, or the use of a conveying skip. • Frequency of collection is a • matter of some contention, but there must be many who regard more than a weekly service as a prodigality, but in an area such as London-a twice-weekly collection is a necessity. Collection generally will probably be made with greater frequency as a public-health measure.
Waste paper is likely to be in good demand for some years after the war. This will be helpful to those authorities which have introduced baling presses. The collection of trade refuse bristlds • with difficulties, and after the war several commodities at present removed free as salvage will probably return to their former grading as trade refuse; a • charge would then be made for their removal.
The multiplicity of types of refusecollection vehicle and of methods of transport make tile economic collection of refuse a somewhat complex problem, but there has been h. gradual trend towards dustless loading, coupled with .the introduction of low-loading facilities, which are equally important.
Volumetric increase was responsible for revolutionary changes in the type of vehicle employed, and it was at this stage that the engineering mind conceived the need for a vehicle which, byutilizing compression, would be able to carry its full pay-load; but this type does not please every cleansing officer.
To cope with the progressive increase in volume, two factors must be considered;—(1) Increased body capacity; (2) a form of compressing gear which would limit the body size whilst increasing the weight of load. Here .is a promising field for investigation by cleans mg officers and vehicle makers. Research into the production of anticorrosive metals of high tensile.strength will certainly be reflected in future refuse vehicles. Their use would reduce both taxation and fuel consumption. The introduction of Continental methods of dustless loading has been a milestone in the international progress of cleansing.
The author then gave a resume of the various types of foreign and British vehicle embodying this principle, also of near approaches to them, and arrangements for employing • compression.
Advice to Collectors and Makers , Of particular interest are points submitted as worthy of the serious attention of local authorities and makers. They are as follow: —Use of uncovered vehicles should be made illegal; highloading vehicles should be removed; there should be closer co-operation between cleansing officers and makers; rear-loading vehicles must be designed • so that adequate packing and trimming can be secured without loaders entering; the body should be impervious or have an impervious lining; means for obtaining silence should be carefully considered; loading rails must be rubbered to absorb impact shocks, reduce noise, and give less wear on bins; vehicles should be of large capacity, to take standard bins, and be equipped with closing shutters; a low-loading line without step would overcome many -criticisms; side loading has much to recommend it, but exposure of a large area of refuse often results in dust .dispersion; the moving floor presents many advantages; electric vehicles are ideal for refuse collection, but the initial cost is heavy, and there is, at present, lack of " punch" and speed. • Finally, he also suggests. that it is opportune to consider the establishment of an experimental research station to deal with cleansing in all its phases, the cost to be covered by a levy' on all authorities per 1,000 of population.