THE CITY'S REFUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 235, 4 October 1928, Page 8

THE CITY'S REFUSE.

METHODS OF DISPOSAL.

■ARE OfEK TIPS HYGIENIC?

Z&IEDICAIi AND CIVIC OPINION'S.

, trial test is to be made to-morrow afternoon of a new destructor which has been established at Takapnna, for dealing with refuse from the boroughs of Devonport, Nwthcot# and Takapuna. . This development on the northern side l of the harbour has caused a revival of j interest in the problem which confronts the city and boroughs on this side of the Waitemata in the matter of dispoe--3 ing of their refuse. Is disposal by means of incinerator i preferable to disposal by tipping t This is a question which is being asked by •many people concerned' in civic and t borough administration. Dr. T. J. > Hughes, medical officer of health, con- . siders that froth a health and aesthetic | point of view some of the tips now being used in Auckland are undesirable. He prefers the method of disposal by means of incineration, and points out that owing to the fact that houses are being ' erected in close proximity to the tips at Grey Lynn and Meadowbank' the City Council should give early and serious attention to the question of replacing them or devising means of handling them more effectively. The city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush) considers that if the conditions are favourable tipping is much more reasonable than disposal by incineration. At the same time, as was stated in a report which Mr. Bush presented to the City Council a few weeks ago, he considers that if disposal by tipping » not to be resorted to for the outlying portions of the city area the provision of destructors for both the eastern and western suburbs will become necessary. In the Mountain Boroughs. Ardent champions of the method of disposal by tipping may be found in Mount Eden and Mount Albert. In the former borough they point to a picturesque reserve at the foot of Bellevue Road,, which was formerly a large and unsightly hole. Tipping was carried out for years, with the result that an eyesore was converted into a public asset. The tipping at present is done within 100 yards, but out of sight, of Mount Eden Road. An old quarry is gradually being filled and members of the council predict that in future years it will be one of the most attractive ; recreation reserves in Auckland. As for the tipping which is done at • Mount Albert the site selected in a i I disused portion of a quarry is declared i Ito be one of the most suitable if not < | the best in New Zealand. It comprises ] an area of 12 to 14 acres, and the coun- j cillors expect-that in time it will be an 1 attractive reserve. 1 Dr. Hughes states that the most im- ] portant requirement in the disposal of < rubbish by tipping is that it should be 1 covered with earth or scoria immedi- ] atelv after leaving the carts. His objection to tips in the vicinity of residential areas is based on the presence of smoke from burning all the year round and the existence of undesirable odours in the hot summer months. The trouble would not be so pronounced, he says, if only dry rubbish; as distinct from matter which is subject to decomposition, were placed in the tips.

How Residents Hay Assist. "It is possible for residents to be of great assistance," said Dr. Hughes, "by burning their dry household rubbish in their grates and placing the ashes in the rubbish tins. Up till a few years ago that was the general practice in the South Island. Another way in which residents can help, is by keeping their rubbish as dry as possible, wrapping it up in newspapers before inserting in the tins, covering with ashes and keeping the tins out of the rain. I may mention that under present conditions a great deal of our time is occupied in inspecting tips which might profitably be closed for the reception of household rubbish." Dr. Hughes expressed his pleasure with the action of the local authorities in establishing destructors at Onehunga and Takapuna. Mr. Bush said that there had been no further developments since he presented his report to the City Council. He remarked that the destructor at Freeman's Bay was capable of burning a larger quantity of the city's refuse, but the problem was one of storage. The total quantity of rubbish collected by the council, exclusive of what was gathered at Avondale and Tamaki, was estimated at 14,675 tons per annum, of which 11,503 tons were burnt at the destructor. The burning capacity of the destructor was 80 tons per day, but its storage capacity was not nearly as great. If disposal by tipping was not to be resorted to for the outlying portions of the city, the provision of destructors for those areas would have to be considered seriously.

Controlled Tipping in England. By way of showing that many of the municipalities in England were reverting to a great extent to the method of tipping Mr. Busli pointed to some of the latest published reports. One of these shows that in Liverpool until eighteen months ago the corporation had in use six destructors. About that time two ot the oldest were closed, and of the remainder two were placed on a single shift per day. Other methods' ot disposal which are used in Liverpool are controlled tipping (a method which has been considerably extended within the past eighteen months), dumping at sea and conveyance by canal or raU to formers. Since the extension of the method of controlled tipping, the actual cost of disposal for one rear showed a Mvtog „ f £21,000, Md tiliß in '» th% fact that the total quantity of material dealt with showed an apparent incfease of approximately 38,000 tons The city engineer and the medical officer of health are in close touch with ea 9® other concerning this important matter. Future developments will be awaited with interest by many people who are concerned with the problemf