View report page

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
During the year a new larger capacity compression vehicle was purchased
in anticipation of the longer haul to the Greater London Council's new
incineration plant at Angel Road, Edmonton, N.18. This plant is considered
to be one of the largest and most modern in the world and although it was
hoped to have it in operation during 1970 technical difficulties have been
experienced in the use of the specialised machinery and the plant was still
not functioning fully at the end of the year.
Refuse from the borough is at present being transfer loaded at depots in
Montagu Road, Carterhatch Lane and Barrowell Green and subsequently
utilised for land reclamation outside the borough. Facilities are also provided
at these depots for the public to dispose of unwanted items.
A new large centralised waste paper baling depot, designed to handle paper
salvage from Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest, is being constructed at
Montagu Road. It is hoped to have this depot operative during the early
part of 1971, and all domestic and commercial premises will be encouraged
to keep their paper salvage separate from the refuse.
In the autumn there was a withdrawal of labour by local authority manual
staff resulting in a breakdown in the refuse collection service for nearly six
weeks. However, the men maintained the service to hospitals, etc., on a
voluntary basis. Plastic sacks were made available to the public and their
use considerably reduced the public health risk. The refuse depots remained
open and the public were able to dump their own refuse. Because of the
protracted nature of the dispute, large quantities of refuse accumulated at
the depots and it was necessary to spray the rubbish on a number of
occasions because of the potential health hazard involved.
Civic Amenities
Act 1967
The Civic Amenities Act 1967 makes provision for the orderly disposal of
disused vehicles, equipment and other rubbish. Under Section 23 of the
Removal of Refuse Regulations 1967 local authorities are able to remove
anything other than a motor vehicle, which has been abandoned either on
land or the highway.
I am grateful to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for much of the information
contained in this report.
Clean Air
Smoke Control Areas
Clean Air Act 1956
Since the inception of the Clean Air Act, 1956, most local authorities,
including Enfield, have made steady progress in establishing smoke control
areas. On 1st November the No. 17 Order came into force, covering an
area of 1,008 acres in the extreme South-West of the borough and bringing
another 7,579 premises under Smoke Control. No. 18 Order, covering part
of the South-East area of the borough and which earlier in the year had been
submitted to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, was unfortunately,
for economic reasons, withdrawn. The preparation of further Orders
was suspended. Another factor which has affected smoke control is the
shortage of solid smokeless fuel caused mainly by changes in technology in
the gas industry with the advent of North Sea gas.
In July the Minister of Housing and Local Government issued a circular
(63/70) advising local authorities of this shortage, and stating that because
of this he would suspend smoke control orders where local authorities
thought this advisable. The matter was discussed by the London Boroughs'
Association, who recommended that individual boroughs should suspend
40% of their smoke control orders.
70