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102
Environmental Health
REFUSE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL
The collection of household and trade refuse is under the control of the Director of Engineering
and its disposal is to controlled tips operated by the Greater London Council. Trade refuse is also
collected by commercial operators and disposal is to the Greater London Council tips, by payment,
or to commercial operated tips.
Tips are licensed under the Middlesex County Council Act and the licence conditions are enforced
by the Environmental Health Section. Three of these tips accept trade and domestic refuse and five
accept excavated materials or builder's waste. These tips are generally on the sites of sand and gravel
workings. There are 33 present or former sand and gravel pits in the Borough, some still excavating,
some reclaiming and others now closed. In addition to direct public health matters the licence
conditions include reference to deposits of mud on the highways and other matters relating to
environment. 331 Inspections were made of refuse tips in 1969.
Emergency Refuse Collection Arrangements
Because of the strike of refuse collectors in October 1969 it was necessary for the Director of
Engineering to operate emergency arrangements.
Volunteers from the personnel on strike continued to collect from hospitals and welfare establishments.
Plastic sacks were available to be collected by all householders and persons accumulating trade
refuse were advised that this could be taken to the Greater London Council's controlled tipping sites.
On 8th October, thirty emergency disposal sites, indicated by a staked and roped olf area, were
established throughout the Borough by the joint effort of the Director of Parks and the Director of
Engineering. Most householders co-operated in an intelligent manner, and little or no nuisance
occurred from refuse deposited on the areas in the plastic sacks. There was some misunderstanding
over the supply of sacks and some refuse was tipped onto the disposal area, and some refuse, which
appeared to be trade refuse, deposited in open boxes. Because of the open refuse there was a possibility
of insect and rodent infestation and on the 10th October precautionary rodenticide baits were laid at
thirteen sites. Subsequently all sites were so treated and all sprayed with insecticide and kept sprayed
until cleared. The Director of Engineering rapidly cleared the sites at the end of the strike, and
although some refuse was dumped on sites after the initial clearance, the position was back to normal
by 31st October.
Unauthorised Deposits of Refuse
The manner in which the majority of the residents co-operated during the strike showed an
awareness of the health hazards involved if refuse is deposited indiscriminately and the extremely
unsightly and unhygienic conditions caused by refuse scattered along the roadside verges can only
be attributed to the thoughtlessness or ignorance of a minority.
It is to be hoped that 1970's Conservation campaign will help educate this minority and go
some way towards improving this problem.
The Council provides a free service for the collection of bulky household articles not capable
of being placed in the dustbin. The collection does not apply to garden rubbish or builder's rubble.
Refuse may also be taken to the Greater London Council's refuse tips and deposited without charge.
Unwanted cars, with their log books will be collected and disposed of by the Council on payment
of £2, or may be delivered without charge to specific Council depots.
RIVER POLLUTION
126 inspections were made of rivers, ditches and water courses.
Two chemical samples taken at the point where the effluent from Maple Cross Sewage Disposal
Works discharges into the river Colne were examined and found to be satisfactory.