A special commission made an investigation and report on the collection and disposal of municipal waste in Worcester, Massachusetts. After investigating all methods of disposal it reached these conclusions: “That the disposal by feeding is the most economical method; that the greatest intrinsic value of the garbage, the feeding value, is made use of; that the garbage of Worcester can not only be disposed of without cost but that the revenue from the sale of hogs has almost been sufficient to pay for the collection.”
The Commission recommended that the present method of feeding to swine be continued.
In its report it gives the per capita cost of collection and disposal as $.072 for Worcester and $.095 for Brockton.
The Worcester municipal piggery is the largest and most successful. The garbage collected by the city is fed to a herd of hogs numbering about 1700 in winter and 4000 in summer. During the winter practically all hogs are housed.
The necessity for sterilizing garbage before it is fed to hogs is disputed. Salem, Cambridge, Grand Rapids, Taunton and Brockton report that garbage is not sterilized. New Haven reports that some is sterilized. Colorado Springs and Omaha require all garbage to be sterilized.
In his report of the sanitary survey of St. Joseph, Missouri, J. H. White, Surgeon, United States Public Health Service, makes the following statement with regard to the disposal of garbage in that city:
“Kansas City, Providence, Denver, Omaha, Colorado Springs and other cities have their garbage fed to hogs, with the uniform result that the cost of removal is reduced to some extent to the city and that the contractor, according to his business capacity, is able to make more or less profit from the feed so obtained. There is no danger in this system under proper handling. Any supposed danger to the hogs can be prevented by prompt handling of the garbage to prevent unnecessary fermentation and by the use of the hog cholera serum to prevent disease. The proper cleaning of the pens, if in the city, eliminates any danger to man. The Board recommends this system and I heartily concur with them that it offers the best available solution of the garbage problem.”
The Worcester Commission reports the figures for hogs sold to a packing company during the last year from the Home Farm. Of the 2,276 hogs sold, the Commission says only 11 were condemned by the United States Government Meat Inspectors, an average of only 0.48 per cent. of one per cent., which average is much lower than it is on hogs shipped in from the West to the same packing house. It further says: “The feeding method, however, has been practised with success in many cities, especially those in New England, for many years. The great difference of opinion is explained by the efficiency with which the sanitary conditions at the farm are maintained.” It emphasizes the fact that farms must be kept clean and in a sanitary manner, and that this method of garbage disposal requires careful and intelligent supervision, as is the case with any other method of disposal. No method of disposal will run itself.
Following are comments received regarding this particular plan of disposal:
Health Officer C. C. Slemons, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, says: “From observation I am of the opinion that one of these farms (municipal piggery), properly conducted, is a paying proposition, but I do not think to the extent of paying for collection. From my observation I would be rather skeptical of a city going into this business. It is a business that needs very close supervision and unless a person is financially interested in it I doubt very much if the experiment would pay.”