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42
Collection of Refuse
The number of bins collected is now over 81,000. The contents are
deposited in vehicles which travel an average distance of twelve miles to
the tip at Harefield.
The refuse from business and shop premises is collected on the normal
weekly refuse collection round. A charge is made for the emptying of any
bins more than the one for each property. In addition special collections
are made at a charge from those premises where there is more to be
removed than can be dealt with by the normal services.
In addition to the waste paper collected on the normal weekly refuse
collection, a free waste paper and cardboard collection service is provided
by the fortnightly collection made to 3,339 shops and business premises.
For years the Public Health Committee has been concerned about the
deposits of waste material, accumulations which lead to conditions
bordering on sanitary nuisances. These accumulations often enough would
start because of the difficulty a householder had in getting rid of a disused
bedstead or perambulator. The Highways and Cleansing Committee were
all the time unable to agree to the request of the Public Health Committee
that the term "house refuse" might be construed beyond that matter which
ordinarily finds its way into the household bin and is emptied each week.
The time arrived though when such deposits caused a different sort of
trouble because some of them interfered with the flow of water courses.
In the middle of 1959 then the Council agreed to arrangements being made
for the collection free of charge of household refuse comprising typical
domestic articles such as old mattresses, linoleum and carpets, old
fenders, domestic cooking utensils, etc. In addition, the Council proposed
to continue the existing practice of removing at a nominal charge by
special collection such items as old water tanks, rubble, garden rubbish,
etc. The Highways Committee agreed at their meeting in October to give
suitable publicity on the Council's refuse collection vehicles to these
facilities, and the Public Relations Committee were asked to publicise
them in the Civic Bulletin or Civic News.
Use of disposable sacks.
In some districts the refuse bin has been replaced by a disposable
sack. A metal stand is provided at the house, either fixed to the wall or
the house or free-standing. A paper sack is attached to this stand and is
used in place of the dustbin. On collection, the sack is removed and
replaced with a fresh sack. The collection of refuse in these sacks causes
less dust, it is less noisy and saves time by avoiding the return trip to replace
the empty bin. On the other hand, the saving of time is to some exten
offset by the time taken to take off the used sack and replace it by another
There are other disadvantages in that it is necessary to carry large number
of sacks with each vehicle. The sacks too are liable to damage by hot