Time of Collection
Usually ashes and rubbish are collected during the working hours of the day, but often it is customary to collect them in the early hours of the morning, especially in the business section.
Night collection has been satisfactory in some cities. A few having this system require cans to be placed at the curb the night before. These are collected early in the morning and the empty ones taken to the back yard. The principal objection to night collections is the noise of the wagons and the dropping of the empty metal cans.
William H. Edwards, former Commissioner of Street Cleaning in New York, gives the following advantages and disadvantages of day and night collection:
Unsightliness of cans in front of buildings much less evident at night.
Retention of cover on receptacle easier in day time. When covers are removed day work has its disadvantages by the spreading of the dust by the wind.
Interference with sidewalk and roadway traffic less at night.
When receptacle is placed in areaway it is more difficult for the collector to see at night whether or not there is material to remove.
Intense heat in summer is a drawback both to men and animals in the day collections.
Spilling of material is of less importance at night.
Night collection necessitates the extra charge of lighting the dump.
Supervision of night collection is considerably more difficult.
Night collection was tried in New York, but was abandoned after the strike in 1911.