London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Redbridge 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Redbridge]
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109
Cleansing
of Public
Sewers and
Drains
The service of cleansing and unblocking choked sewers and drains
continued. 2,020 blockages were cleared by the three manual staff of the
Department, 45 were cleared by the Borough Engineer with specialised
equipment and 52 were dealt with by private contractors.
Refuse
Collection
and
Disposal
The service offered to householders for the testing and reporting on drains at the appropriate fee was used four times during the year.
| T. | Cwt. | Otrs. | Lbs. | £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refuse Collection | 76,046 | _ | _ | _ | |||
| Y/astepaper Salvage | 1,521 | — | — | _ | 13,386. | 0. | 0. |
| Mixed Rags | 14 | 4 | 2 | — | 285. | 1. | 6. |
| Carpet | 1 | 10 | — | — | 6. | 0. | 0. |
| Woollens | 1 | 14 | 2 | — | 153. | 15. | 0. |
| Iron | 11 | 14 | — | _ | 81. | 18. | 0. |
| Iron and Steel | One Load | 150. | 0. | 0. | |||
| Lead | — | 2 | _ | 2. | 3. | 9. | |
| Copper | — | 1 | — | - | 17. | 10. | 0. |
| Misc. Scrap | 31 | 3 | — | — | 124. | 13. | 0. |
| Copper Wire | One Load | 55. | 0. | 0. | |||
| Old Venicles | 5. | 0. | 0. | ||||
Over the past 25 years there have been significant developments
in vehicle design and the modern refuse vehicle is a very sophisticated
machine. Loading takes place at the rear; only the reception hopper is
exposed and refuse is crushed and fed to the front of the body in a continuous
mechahical operation.
Refuse storage receptacles are better too; the long-serving heavy
galvanised iron dustbin is slowly giving way to plastic bins (not all of
them of practical design) and expendable paper or plastic sacks are
becoming increasingly popular.
Slowly then, the dustmen's lot is improving, but much of the unpleasantness
remains and in many parts of the country it is difficult to
recruit men to do the job.
Few among those responsible for the management of refuse collections
can remember a year with more labour problems than 1969. Many
authorities in London and elsewhere had minor disturbances early in the
year, but the climax was reached at the end of September when strikes