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These tradesmen do not buy dirty paper, and in order to ensure this they have persuaded
certain municipal authorities to canvass householders with a view to getting waste paper baled
and tied and not placed in the dustbin.
Some 2,500 tons of waste paper are dealt with weekly, of which 60 to 70 tons are destroyed
as useless.
In the county of London, the only salvaging plant in operation is that belonging to one of
the Metropolitan Borough Councils.
Rags, bones, paper and metals are salvaged and are disposed of to various contractors.
A mechanical sifting plant is employed for screening the ash and clinker. Rags, bones,
paper and scrap metal are carried on a belt conveyor and the scrap metal extracted by
i rotary magnet. The salvaged materials are then baled and collected by the various
contractors. No bottles are extracted because the bulk are broken during the screening process.
An effort was made to induce householders to bale their waste paper separately, since clean
paper commands a better price, but without success.
Rags are not cleansed in any way, as the contractor prefers to deal with them in their original
state.
The quantity of reclaimable refuse is gradually decreasing despite the fact that the gross
bulk of refuse is increasing.
Materials
salvaged from
house refuse
by sanitary
authorities.
During the year 1934.1935, the total refuse collected amounted to 47,948 tons. From this
was salvaged:—
Waste paper 974½ tons.
Rags and sacking 41¾ „
Bones 11½ tons
Scrap metal 514½ „
Inquiries have been made of two local authorities outside London who carry out salvage
operations. Particulars are as follows:—
(1) A large provincial city.—This city has means for salvaging saleable material at all of
its five refuse disposal works.

The salvaged materials are all disposed of to outside contractors. No attempt at cleansing
is made except in the case of rags, which are dried and shaken by machinery before baling in order
to get rid of moisture and superficial dirt.
It is of interest to note that only 25 per cent, of the rags passing over the picking belts
are considered to be worth salvaging, the remainder being conveyed with the tailings into the
furnaces.
The salvage department does not know of any mechanical washing of bottles establishment
within the city, and doubts if any such exist.
(2) An urban district council near London.—Bottles, jars, rags, paper and scrap metals are