Per Capita Production
Experts have agreed within fifty pounds as to the per capita garbage output of a community. W. F. Morse, Sanitary Expert, gave one hundred and ninety pounds per capita per year as approximate figures for an estimate. William N. Venable estimated the annual amount per capita to be from 150 to 200 pounds.
Recent reports from six cities which have complete collection systems show considerable variation in the per capita amount collected. These cities report as follows:
| Lbs. of Garbage per Capita | |
|---|---|
| Columbus | 203⅓ |
| Grand Rapids | 97 |
| Buffalo | 80 |
| Worcester | 127 |
| Rochester | 260 |
| Cleveland | 162 |
The average weight of garbage per cubic yard according to statistics from nine large American cities has been from 1,100 to 1,475 pounds, and the number of pounds per one thousand of population per day from 331 to 875.
The food conservation campaign throughout the nation since our entry into the world-wide war, however, has created havoc with garbage production figures and estimates. Although it was known for many years that the American housewife has been a most notorious profligate in the waste of food, it was not until the war forced upon America the necessity for food conservation that there was any decrease in the contents of the garbage pail. Remarkable changes have been reported by cities, the following reductions by New York State cities being typical:
| Name of City | Amount of Garbage Collected During | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June, 1916 | July, 1916 | June, 1917 | July, 1917 | |
| Rochester | 2563 tons | 2580 tons | 1,870 tons | 2,167 tons |
| New York City | ||||
| (Boro. Manhattan) | 82,503 cu. yds. | 89,568 cu. yds. | 76,550 cu. yds. | 84,628 cu. yds. |
| (Boro. Brooklyn) | ||||
| Kingston | 140 tons | 140 tons | 120 tons | 120 tons |
| Cortland | 37½ tons | 37½ tons | 31½ tons | 31½ tons |
| Schenectady | 312 tons, 680 lbs. | 350 tons | 330 tons, 655 lbs. | 398 tons, 1,400 lbs. |
| [[52]]Syracuse | 1,100 tons | 1,373 tons | 1,062 tons | 1,087 tons |
| Albany | 954 bbls. | 1,094 bbls. | 786 bbls. | 877 bbls. |
| Buffalo | 2,319.770 tons | 1,250.280 tons | 2,247.790 tons | 1,748.700 tons |
| Utica | 40 tons daily | 40 tons daily | 35 tons daily | 35 tons daily |
[52]. Increase probably due to change from contract to municipal system of collection.
Omaha, Nebraska, reports that for the year 1917 the bulk of garbage was about the same as the previous year, but that no meats, bread or potatoes were found in it. The collection of garbage has been a little over one-third less since the conservation of food went into effect.
What percentage of this reduction will continue after the war is problematical, but it is agreed by all experts that never again will the American garbage pail be so productive as it has been in the past.