Cost of Collection
The cost of collection is vitally affected by so many different factors and by local conditions that any attempt to compare the economy of the system in one city with that in another will generally be unsatisfactory. Also actual cost data are kept by very few cities, and where they are available the methods of determining them often vary so that they are misleading for comparative purposes. The cost depends upon the cost of loading and the cost of hauling, as described in the discussion of ash collection. Such facts about the cost as are available in printed reports and as have been sent to the New York State Bureau of Municipal Information by the cities will be found in the accompanying table.
An investigation by the Ohio State Board of Health in Ohio cities showed that the cost averaged from $2 to $2.75 per ton. The report says that the cost of collection in Cleveland for several years averaged $2.17 to $2.79 per ton; Dayton, $2.11; Zanesville, $2.13. In the smaller cities where hauls are comparatively short, the cost frequently did not exceed $1.50 per ton, and “on the average with proper routing should not exceed $2.00 per ton.”
The cost of the collection and disposal may be met by a draft on the general fund, by assessment upon property benefited, or by assessment upon the people directly served. The particular method selected will be determined by the legal limitations, the difficulty of collection, tax limitations, and so forth.