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49
at the rear of the house the number of bins emptied daily would
be greatly reduced.
A census of the number of premises visited and the bins
emptied was taken in July :
Premises Bins
Northern Area (weekly collection) .... 15,697 17,184
Southern Area (fortnightly collection) .... 2,559 3,017
The average number of bins emptied by each collector daily
is one hundred and eighty.
The approximate weight of the refuse collected is fifty tons
daily and this is disposed of by means of controlled tipping in a
valley at Downe.
The refuse is tipped in layers and all surfaces are covered
with soil, clinker and ashes. The ashes and clinker which are
obtained from two large hospitals in the district have been
invaluable in this respect. The layers have to be of a depth so
as to allow for consolidation which is obtained by the vehicles
backing on the deposited refuse and tipping their loads over the
end of the layer. This sealing of the refuse is necessary to
prevent rats and flies gaining access and to prevent the
emergence of flies which may be hatched from larvae present in
the refuse. It also prevents the escape of offensive odours
associated with decaying vegetable matter.
In addition the sealing of the tip surface assists in retaining
the heat which is generated by the bacteriological and chemical
action occurring in the body of the refuse and thus helps to speed
up the process of decomposition. The temperature inside the tip
may rise to 160°F. within the first fourteen days and this is
maintained for twenty-four hours or more, consequently there
is little likelihood of pathogenic organisms surviving. The
return to normal atmospheric temperature takes three months
or more. The danger of a fire breaking out due to hot ashes or
to spontaneous combustion has to be carefully watched.
Pig Food is collected three times each week from street bins
and daily from a few food shops and canteens.
During the year a total of four hundred and eighty-two tons
of pig food was sold to pig keepers for £1,725.
The monthly figures for the pig food collections are as
follow :