AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Phases of Refuse Collection in a variety of towns

5th April 1935, Page 57
5th April 1935
Page 57
Page 58
Page 57, 5th April 1935 — Phases of Refuse Collection in a variety of towns
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Continuing Our Symposium of the Views of Important Officials, the First Instalment of which Appeared in Our Special Municipal Number Published Last Week

Horses and Motors in Use at Aberdeen.

IN Aberdeen the collection of domestic refuse is made on !every alternate day between 7.15 a.m. and 9 a.m., the occupiers of property placing trieir receptacles on the kerbside to facilitate collection. Trade refuse is collected three times weekly, from the centre ot the city, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from other parts during the day. The scavenger at work in each district assists the motorman, or carter, with collections. The total quantity of refuse collected daily is approximately 130 tons.

In the opinion of Mr. A. R. Findlay, M.Inst.P.C., the superintendent of the cleansing and carting department, the horse-drawn vehicle still has a place in refuse collection, With an up-to-date low-loading 'Covered vehicle, employed within a radius of one mile from the disposal point, he thinks that the horse can more than hold its own.. He considers that the rear-loading vehicle with a moving floor is the most suitable for the corporation's work, more particularly in dealing with trade ,refuse.

At Aberdeen 40 horses and 18 motor vehicles are engaged on refuse collection and disposal, the cost working out at :is. id. per head of population, which numbers 172,000, iioread over 6,748 acres.

• .How Birkenhead Has Effected Economies.

D EFUSE collection at Birkenhead is carried out by means 't of the Pagefieid system, and moving-floor motor vehicles zind horsed -vehicles, operate on the, relay system. There are some long hauls in the city, and the Pagefield system has Proved--most advantageous for this work, whilst, for the interniediate distances,-the vehicles with moving floors have shown thernselves to be most economical. For distances under 1i mile horsed vehicles, working on the relay method,

have been found best. Pneumatic-tyred carts on roller bearings have successfully been introduced for the collection of refuse by horses.

The corporation owns a refuse salvage plant, which is capable of dealing with over 100 tons of refuse per day. An old destructor has recently been closed and controlled tipping commented; this proving a much more economical method. Despite the extra haulage involved in carrying the refuse to the tip, a considerable saving has already been shown on refuse collection and disposal combined, and this year's estimates are actually lower than the past year's figures, although there has been an increase of nearly 1,000 houses in the borough.

Mr. R. J.. Watson, M.Inst.P.C., is the superintendent of the cleansing department, which controls the whole of the commercial transport of the corporation.

Great Success of Unified Control at Portsmouth.

PORTSMOUTH is one of the few towns hi which the cleansing and transport services have been co-ordinated under a transport officer, and Mr. S. Alichurch, M.I.P.C., M.I.T.A., the transport and cleansing superintendent, informs us that unified control has resulted in almost unbelievable economies. In 1930-31, prior to co-ordination, the cost of refuse collection and disposal for 59,752 premises and 249,000. inhabitants was £48,696, or 16s 4d. per premises per annum. In 1933-34 the number of premises had increased to 65,000, and the total cost decreased to £39,278, this being -a net saving of £9,400 per annum or a gross saving of £14,000 per annum.

It was also proved that transport costs for highways maintenance were reduced by over 17 per cent., the amount of hired transport used for this purpose being reduced from 57.3 per cent. of the total required to 18,2 per cent., the remainder being corporation-owned vehicles charged at Ministry of Transport hourly rates.

Portsmouth is one of the few municipalities which arrange for two collections weekly, and Mr. Allchurch thinks this tends to make the householders rather extravagant and that much refuse finds its way into the bins which would otherwise be disposed of in the home. He is of the opinion, however, that frequency of collection does not receive the attention it merits, and that two collections weekly are absolutely necessary, particularly during the summer months. At Portsmouth there is a daily collection from hotels, restaurants and boarding houses, The type of refuse vehicle in use is the Dennis Compactor, in which the refuse, after having been placed in the vehicle, is compressed by a plate operated by an hydraulic ram.

During the past four years there has been a complete mechanization of the service, the number of horses now employed averaging six, as against 66 in 1930.

The method of disposal is by controlled tipping, and 25-30 acres of useless mosquito-ridden marshland are being reclaimed annually and converted into recreation grounds and playing fields. Mr. Allchurch thinks that the refuse vehicle of the future mast be equipped with some mechanical means for consolidating the load, owing to the changes that are taking place, due to the use of gas and electricity for domestic purposes, as the result of which there is little ashcontent, but a superabundance of cardboard boxes, cartons, etc.

Refuse from 143,000 Premises at Barking.

AT the present time, the population of Barking is about 80,000, arid the -number of premises from which _refuse is collected is 17,908, these being spread over an area of 4,174 acres. In the year ended March, 1934, 9,263 loads, equal to 15,746 tons, of house refuse were collected and disposed of. The amount of garbage and trade refuse disposed of/hiring the year was 1,050 tons. The council employs six S.D. Freighters-On refuse collection, the refuse being collected weekly on the -relay system. Controlled tipping is the -method used for disposal.

The Problems of a Holiday Resort. •

REFClinton

.USE collection at Cl is mainly carried out by S.D. Freighters,. two 7-cubic-yd. inaChines having been in use since 1927. A 10-cubic-yd. rear-kader was put into service last year and, according to Mr. G. H. Smith, M.S.I.A., M.I.C.S., the sanitary inspector and cleansing superintendent, has proved a decided' acquisition. He points out that, in holiday resorts, it is essential that the people staying only a short time should see as little of the refuse as possible during collection, and this ideal is, to a large extent, obtained by rear loading; there is also less chance of dust and paper being blown about in rough weather.

Although. average weights per load have a tendency to decrease year by year, the bulk for removal shows a great increase, and Mr. Smith points out that this has its effect upon disposal, as very light refuse is more difficult to dispose of by controlled tipping. At Clacton, roughly twothirds of the refuse is incinerated and the remainder tipped.

Mechanical vehicles for refuse collection were first introduced in 1927, and, apart from effecting a financial saving, have permitted a more efficient and regular service. Many large hotels, restaurants, etc., are cleared each day during the season, whilst the inner part Of the town is dealt with twice weekly. Mr. Smith thinks that rear loading for refuse collectors has come to stay and that sideloading vehicles will gradually disappear.

Standard Bins Provided at Halifax.

AT Halifax, where there is a population of 98,000, spread over an area of 14,081 acres, in which there are 31,000 houses, the collection of refuse is carried out by 13 petrol vehicles and three horses and carts. The former are chiefly of the semi-dustless type, but the three latest vehicles, which are of the Karrier-Burrell pattern, ensure dustless loading. The work is organized on the continuous system, a weekly service being given. Paper from shops, etc., is collected separately, and the cleansing department, the director of which is Mr. A. J. Burrell, M.I.P.C,. also collects the whole of the waste from the wholesale fruit and vegetable market and

abattoirs. .

An important feature is that the corporation provides and maintains the whole of the dustbins in use for the storage of house and trade refuse ; there are two sizes of a standard type. The cost of this provision of bins is less than a id. rate, and it may be that the savings gained easily outweigh this small cost. One advantage is that the refuse collectors are not called upon to handle miscellaneous receptacles of all shapes and sizes. Furthermore, the occupiers of property are always ensured an hygienic bin.

So far as refuse disposal is concerned, 75 per cent. is dealt with by separation and incineration, and the remainder by controlled tipping, the average quantity dealt with per annum being 22,000 tons.

100 Per Cent. Mechanization at Blackpool.

DRACTICALLY 100 per cent, mechanical vehicles are

used at Blackpool for the work of the cleansing department, approximately 50 per cent, of them being electrically driven. Both petrol and electric vehicles are being usefully and advantageously employed in their appropriate spheres, according to Mr. R. Entwistle, M.Inst.P.C., director of public cleansing.

In the year ended March, 1934, the gross cost of the department was £56,084, against which an income of• £15,570 had to be set. The net cost of refuse collection was £15,720, the net cost per ton being 9s. 2.6d., 1.5d. per ton less than for the previous year. The cost of refuse disposal was £9,743, which is equivalent to a figure of 5s. 8.6d. per ton.


comments powered by Disqus