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63
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA.
Closet Accommodation.—The water-carriage system is in existence
throughout the City.
Scavenging.—This is in charge of the Highways Department, whose
chief officer is the City Cleansing Surveyor, and the following particulars
are supplied by his courtesy. There is a daily collection of house refuse
throughout the City, the removal of trade refuse being subject to special
arrangements; 104,866 tons of the former were collected during the
year and 741 tons of the latter. Refuse, after collection, is disposed of
in two ways; in one it is sent down the river in barges to be finally
deposited on waste land in Essex; in the other it is sorted in a salvage
plant at one of the Council's depots. During 1928, 84,766 tons were
sent away in barges and 11,728 tons were treated at the salvage plant.
The remainder was carted away by various contractors.
The subject of the ultimate disposal of refuse from the Metropolitan
area is one which has received considerable attention during the past
year.
A considerable proportion of Metropolitan refuse is dumped in Essex
and other outlying districts. Residents and others in the vicinity of the
dumps have complained of the nuisance caused by rats, and by the
smoke from fires which are the result of spontaneous combustion. Various
methods of treating the refuse with a view to preventing the heaps from
taking fire have been tried, but apparently without success. Some of
these dumps have assumed gigantic proportions and there is no doubt
ample justification for the complaints which have been made.
The Ministry of Health is conducting an investigation into the whole
question of the methods of disposal of refuse from the London area and
it is hoped that as a result some more satisfactory means will be found
of dealing with the problem.
The City Council's refuse disposal depot at Ebury Bridge has been
undergoing reconstruction and the work is expected to be completed in
July, 1929. The canal and lock have been widened and modernised and
this will enable the barging of refuse to be carried on with the minimum
of delay.