Columbus, Ohio, has been conducting experiments in making alcohol from green garbage and its reports indicate that cities having reduction plants may produce another by-product from their waste. The experiments were carried on for some time under the direction of the assistant superintendent in cooperation with Dr. James J. Morgan, a Chicago chemist who has patented a process of distilling the alcohol from chemically-treated garbage. It requires only a slight addition to the present processes of the plant. The garbage is treated with a two per cent. solution of sulphuric acid for cooking, then with lime and finally with yeast for fermentation. The claim is made that the amount of grease and tankage is not reduced by the process, and it is estimated that every ton of garbage will yield about six gallons of alcohol. The superintendent of the Division of Garbage and Refuse Disposal in November, 1917, informed the New York State Bureau of Municipal Information that the final report on the experiment “was favorable to the process, but our city council did not see fit to authorize the installation of the necessary equipment for the process.”
J. W. Turrentine says that on a basis of figures obtained in the operation of a number of reduction plants, it is shown that the average cost of reduction is $2.41 per ton, and the gross receipts $3.30 per ton, giving a profit of 89 cents per ton raw garbage. He asserts that when consideration of cost of collection is excluded, the rendering of garbage is distinctly more profitable than incineration.
Cleveland and Columbus have been the cities most successful in operating municipal reduction plants. In one year the Columbus plant received 21,628.97 tons of garbage, or 211 pounds of garbage per capita. From this and the 183 large dead animals received, the actual production was as follows: Grease, 1,186,985 pounds; tankage, 1,753 tons; hides, 183. The value of these by-products were: Grease, $57,672.21; tankage, $12,987.84; hides, $1,062.30, or a total of $66,772.35.
Each ton of garbage produced 54.87 pounds of grease and 162.1 pounds of tankage. The grease value per ton of garbage was $2,435; the tankage, 60 cents, and the hides 5 cents, or a total of $3,085 per ton of garbage. The actual cost of operation was $40,220.78 or $1,859 per ton. The net profits were $26,502.57 or $1.226 per ton of garbage.
Cleveland in one year produced 2,940,000 pounds of grease and 10,016,000 pounds of tankage, the city receiving for them $151,162.48. This reduction cost per ton of green garbage was $1.97½ and the earnings per ton of green garbage was $3.47, making the net earnings per ton of garbage $1.49½.
New York City is selling its garbage to a private company. It made a contract for 1914 to 1916, inclusive, and the right to renew the contract for two more years on the same terms and conditions. The city receives at the rate of $62,500 for the first, $87,500 for the second, and $112,500 for the third and each of the succeeding two years. Plans are now being made to operate a municipal plant.
| Table VII | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METHODS AND COST OF DISPOSING OF GARBAGE | |||||||||||||||||
| Name | Method of Disposal | By Whom Done | City Own Dump? If Not, Annual Rental | City Own Farm and Hogs? | Is farm Rented by City? | Kind of Plant | Capacity | When Built | Design | Any Odor? | Annual Cost of Operation | By- Products | What is Done with By-Products | Annual Revenue from By-Products | Net Cost of Disposal[[53]] | Net Profit | |
| Per Ton | Year | ||||||||||||||||
| New York City[[54]] | Reduction. | Contract. Building municipal plant. | Reduction. | 2,000 tons. | 1896 | Arnold. | Grease and tankage. | $112,500 a yr. | |||||||||
| Buffalo | Dumping and Incineration. | Contract. | Some of them. | Incineration. | 40 tons. | 1903 | Heenan-Froude. | $1.25 | |||||||||
| Rochester | Reduction. | Contract. City has decided to own its plant. | Reduction. | 1907 | Genesee Reduction Co. | Grease and tankage. | |||||||||||
| Albany | Fed to pigs. | Contract. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Binghamton | Feeding and burning. | Private sanitary companies. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Schenectady | Reduction. | City. | Reduction. | 30 tons. | 1914 | Chamberlain. | Yes. | $27,000.00 | Tankage and grease. | Sold. | $3,000.00 | 10.23 | $34,200.00 | ||||
| Syracuse | Reduction. | Contract, planning municipal operation. | At times. | ||||||||||||||
| Troy | Dumping. | Contract. | $12,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Yonkers | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 9 tons. | 1839 | N. Y. Garbage Crematory. | No. | 3,380.50 | 1.40 | 3,880.50 | |||||||
| Utica | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | Very little. | Grease. | Sold for soap, residue used for fuel. | 4,100.00 | ||||||||||
| New Rochelle | Incineration. | 1917 | Morse-Boulger. | ||||||||||||||
| Watertown | Feeding to pigs. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||||
| Auburn | Dumping and ploughing under. | ||||||||||||||||
| Beacon | Dumping for fill. | No. No rental. | |||||||||||||||
| Mechanicville | Dumping for fill. | Contract. | No. No rental. | ||||||||||||||
| Dunkirk | Feeding and ploughing under. | No. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Saratoga | Dumping. | $50 per yr. | |||||||||||||||
| Middletown | Dumping for fill. | No. | |||||||||||||||
| Kingston | Dumping. | No. | |||||||||||||||
| Jamestown | Ploughing under. | Contract. | No. | ||||||||||||||
| Fulton | Dumping for fill. | Yes. | 600.00 | ||||||||||||||
| Port Jervis | Dumping. | Contract. | No. | 960.00[[55]] | |||||||||||||
| Elmira | Incineration and dumping. | Dumping only by city. | No. $300. | Incineration. | Uses about half city garbage. | 1906 | No. | None. | |||||||||
| Salamanca | Dumping. | City. | |||||||||||||||
| Rome | Dumping. | ||||||||||||||||
| Niagara Falls | Dumping in river. | ||||||||||||||||
| Cortland | Dumping. | Contract. | No. | 200.00[[56]] | |||||||||||||
| Cohoes | Dumping. | Owned by contractor. | |||||||||||||||
| Plattsburgh | Dumping on land and in water. | One dump. | |||||||||||||||
| Ithaca | Dumping for fill. | City. | Some. No rental. | ||||||||||||||
| Olean | Feeding to hogs. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||||
| Johnstown | Dumping. | No. $100 per year. | |||||||||||||||
| Ogdensburg | Dumping. | ||||||||||||||||
| Gloversville | Dumping. | Contract. | Yes. | ||||||||||||||
| Hudson | Feeding to hogs. | Contract. | No. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Little Falls | Feeding to hogs. | Contract. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| North Tonawanda | Ploughed under. | Contract. | No. No rental. | ||||||||||||||
| Newburgh | Feeding and ploughing under. | Contract. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Norwich | Dumping. | No. $50. | |||||||||||||||
| Mount Vernon | Feeding and dumping for fill. | Contract. | Contractor rents it. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Lockport | Feeding and dumping. | City. | Yes. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Hornell | Feeding and ploughing under. | City. | No. $50. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Rensselaer | Feeding and dumping. | City. | Yes. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Batavia | Dumping and feeding. | City. | Yes. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Tonawanda | Feeding and dumping. | Contract. | No. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Corning | Feeding to hogs. | Contract. | Contractor owns farm. | No. | No. | ||||||||||||
| Oswego | Dumping on land. | ||||||||||||||||
| Canandaigua | Feeding to hogs. | Private company. | No. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Borough of Queens | Crematories, dumping and reduction. | Crematories and dumps by city. Reduction by contract. | No. | 3 crematories. | 30 tons.[[57]] | 1900 | .161 cu. yd.[[58]] | ||||||||||
| Amsterdam | Incineration. | City. | |||||||||||||||
| Poughkeepsie | Dumping. | City. | No. | ||||||||||||||
| Atlanta, Ga. | Incineration. | Contract. | Incineration. | 250 tons. | 1913 | Destructor Co. | None from operation. | 25¢ per ton | Cinders. | Dumped. | None. | [[59]] | [[59]] | [[59]] | |||
| Columbus, Ohio | Reduction. | City. | Reduction. | 200 tons. | 1910 | Slight. | $1.86 | Grease, tankage, hides. | Sold. | $66,772.35 | $1.226 per ton | ||||||
| Cincinnati, O. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | Heenan-Froude. | Not 50 feet outside wall | $68,892.45 | Electric power. | Operates pumping station. | $10,000.00 | $1.26[[60]] | |||||||
| Milwaukee, Wis. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 300 tons. | 1910 | ||||||||||||
| Detroit, Mich. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | Detroit Reduction Co. | City pays nothing. | ||||||||||||
| Washington, D. C. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 1900 | Arnold. | 40 miles from city. | Grease and tankage. | Sold. | $2.31[[61]] | $1.89 per ton[[62]] | |||||||
| St. Louis, Mo. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 400 tons. | 1913 | Occasionally | Grease and tankage. | Sold. | .87[[63]] | ||||||||
| Lawrence, Mass. | Feeding to pigs. | Two loads daily sent to Poor Farm. Rest sold. | $1.25 a load. | ||||||||||||||
| New Orleans, La. | Dumping for fill. | City. | Yes. | ||||||||||||||
| Hartford, Conn. | Feeding to pigs and burned. | City. | Yes. | No. | |||||||||||||
| Baltimore, Md. | Reduction. | Contract. | 68,000.00[[64]] | ||||||||||||||
| Bridgeport, Conn | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 60 tons. | 1910 | Occasionally. | 50[[64]] | ||||||||||
| Cleveland, O. | Reduction. | City. | Reduction. | 300 tons. | 1905 | Newburgh Reduction Co. | Very little. | $132,890.00 | Grease and tankage. | Sold. | $195,000.00 | $1.49½ per ton | |||||
| Lowell, Mass. | Fed to pigs. | $5,919.77 | |||||||||||||||
| Cambridge, Mass. | Fed to pigs. | $15,000.00[[65]] | |||||||||||||||
| Louisville, Ky. | Dumping. | No. | |||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh, Pa. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | Yes. | $2.25 | $290,000.00 | |||||||||||
| Denver, Col. | Fed to hogs. | Contract. | No. | Free. | |||||||||||||
| Savannah, Ga. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 130 tons. | 1914 | Heenan-Froude. | No. | .615[[56]] | Steam and clinker. | Used on roads. | .36 | ||||||
| Chicago, Ill. | Reduction and incineration. | City. | Reduction. | 900 tons. | 1913 | Arnold. | Very little. | Dried garbage. | Sold. | $144,744.00 | |||||||
| Kansas City, Mo. | Fed to pigs. | Contract. | No. | ||||||||||||||
| Boston, Mass. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | $925,318.56[[66]] | |||||||||||||
| Lynn, Mass. | Fed to pigs. | ||||||||||||||||
| Grand Rapids, Mich. | Fed to pigs. | No. | 45¢ per ton. | ||||||||||||||
| Minneapolis, Minn. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 1905 | Decarie. | No. | Power. | Heats buildings, lights buildings and streets. | $27,000.00 | .85 | $16,000.00 | ||||||
| St. Paul, Minn. | Fed to hogs. | No. | 80¢ per ton. | ||||||||||||||
| Jersey City, N. J. | Dumping for fill. | Contract. | |||||||||||||||
| Passaic, N. J. | Burial. | ||||||||||||||||
| Paterson, N. J. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 60 tons. | 1912 | Destruction Co. | No. | None. | .877[[67]] | $9,527.42 | $1.18 | ||||||
| Trenton, N. J. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 65 tons. | 1901 | Davis. | No. | Only ashes. | None. | .48[[69]] | $7,108.37[[69]] | ||||||
| Dayton, O. | Reduction. | City. | Reduction. | 125 tons. | 1915 | Slight. | Grease and tankage. | Sold. | |||||||||
| Providence, R. I. | Fed to pigs. | No. | |||||||||||||||
| Charleston, S. C. | Dumping. | ||||||||||||||||
| Nashville, Tenn. | Feeding to hogs. | ||||||||||||||||
| Seattle, Wash. | Dumping for fill. | City. | |||||||||||||||
| Spokane, Wash. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 120 tons. | 1908 | Decarie. | No. | Ashes. | Sold. | $5.00 | .60 | ||||||
| Oakland, Cal. | Dumping in ocean and incineration. | Contract. | Incineration. | 100 tons. | 1907 | Decarie. | .60 | ||||||||||
| New Bedford, Mass. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 30 tons. | 1905 | No. | $25,500.00 | ||||||||||
| Springfield, Mass. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 75 tons. | 1913 | Some. | [[68]] | [[68]] | [[68]] | ||||||||
| Portland, Ore. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 150 tons. | 1910 | F. P. Smith | No. | 34[[56]] per ton. | .34[[69]] | ||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pa. | Reduction and feeding to pigs. | Contract. | Reduction. | 500 tons. | Yes. | Grease and tankage. | |||||||||||
| Scranton, Pa. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 80 tons. | Lewis & Kitchen Co. | No. | .28 | Ashes. | Sold. | ||||||||
| Reading, Pa. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 100 tons. | 1914 | No. | $1.00[[70]] | ||||||||||
| Richmond, Va. | Incineration. | City. | Incineration. | 100 tons. | 1910 | Morse, Boulger & Decarie. | |||||||||||
| Los Angeles, Cal. | Reduction and feeding to pigs. | Contract. | Reduction. | 300 tons. | 1915 | No. | Grease and tankage. | 51¢ per ton for reduction, $1 for feeding. | |||||||||
| San Francisco, Cal. | Reduction. | Contract. | Reduction. | 750 tons. | 1897 | Chas. Thackery patents. | Much. | None. | .60[[71]] | ||||||||
| Newark, N. J. | Reduction. | Contract. | |||||||||||||||
| Indianapolis, Ind. | Reduction. | Contract. | |||||||||||||||
| Toledo, O. | |||||||||||||||||
| Worcester, Mass. | Feeding to pigs. | City. | Yes. | No. | Manure and hogs. | Sold. | $38,838.67 | ||||||||||
| New Haven, Conn. | Feeding to pigs and composting. | Yes. | |||||||||||||||
| Birmingham, Ala. | Dumping on land. | City. | |||||||||||||||
| Memphis, Tenn. | Incineration and dumps. | City. | Yes. | Incineration. | 50 tons. | Yes, at times. | 30¢ to 40¢ | ||||||||||
| Omaha, Neb. | Feeding to pigs. | No. | |||||||||||||||
| Fall River, Mass. | Feeding to pigs. | Contract. | No. | No expense. | |||||||||||||
Glens Falls and Oneonta, N. Y., report that they have no systems.
[53]. A Includes interest, depreciation, maintenance and repair charges.