The Worcester Commission reports that for heavy, long hauls and under conditions where a truck can be kept moving, a motor truck is probably more economical than a horse drawn vehicle of the same capacity. It concludes that the motor trucks are not economical for short hauls with many stops.
The Health Commissioner of Seattle in 1913 made the claim that auto trucks save from one-fourth to one-fifth as much time as is consumed by horse drawn vehicles. He expressed the belief that 45 cents on a dollar is saved by using auto trucks. Seattle hauls its garbage by auto from bunkers to place of final disposal.
A few cities haul from transfer stations to place of final disposal by trolley and steam cars and by barges. Greeley estimates that assuming 600 cu. yds. of refuse weigh 375 tons, the cost of trolley transportation will be 40 cents per ton. Barge transportation, he estimates, will be about 22 cents per ton. Transportation by steam railroads, he says, depends upon switching charges. These will range from $5 to $15 per car. He figures the switching charges will average about 20 cents per ton.
Collection Regulations
The location of the receptacle and the time and frequency of collection have a very important bearing on the efficiency and cost of the service. The degree of cleanliness desired and the convenience of the householder are the chief factors which determine these questions.
Most cities specify where the can must be left for collection and to what place it must be returned. Some collect from the curb, areaway or alley, but the majority of them take the can from and return it to the house or back yard. Garbage can be collected much more speedily if the cans are left at the curb for collection days, but most cities object to the unsightliness of the thoroughfares which results. The citizens, for their own convenience, and to eliminate the objection of a littered street, are willing to pay the extra cost of having the garbage taken from the yard or the house.
The almost universal practise in America is to collect garbage during the daytime. Of those from which facts have been received and whose systems are described in the accompanying tables, only two collect all garbage at night. One collects at night during the summer and four collect at night in the business section. Two collect during both day and night.
The number of collections made in a stated period of time depends entirely upon the amount of garbage, the density and character of population, the climate and the season of the year. Some cities maintain a daily service in all except the outlying sections. Practically all collect at least once a week. In cold climates more collections are required during the summer than during the winter. Usually the collections are more frequent in the business sections than in the residential sections and less frequent in the outlying districts than in the residential sections, the density of population being the determining factor.
As with ash collection the promulgation and enforcement of specific regulations are very helpful in increasing or maintaining the efficiency of a garbage collection system. Cooperation of the public is essential and this can be secured to a great extent by an efficient system. All reports agree that regular collections should be made at stated intervals and so far as possible at the same time each day according to a regular schedule. Laxity on the part of the collection department will breed indifference among the householders. The Chicago Waste Commission expresses the opinion that where the householders become accustomed to a systematic service they will depend upon the collector and will more readily comply with laws and ordinances. All experts agree that the regulation as to house treatment of refuse should not only be enforced, but that considerable time should be spent by officials in educating and training people to cooperate for mutual advantage. Such time will be well spent, and eventually it will reduce the cost of operation.
The rules and regulations respecting the collection of garbage and refuse in a small progressive New York State city are as follows: