RUBBISH IN LONDON.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 137, 17 June 1926, Page 3

RUBBISH IN LONDON.

METHODS OF DISPOSAL. Extraction of Profits. A correspondent of the London ““Daily Telegraph' 7 says that Mr Neville Chamberlain, Minister of Health, lias given instructions for an investigation to be made into the public cleansing of London. There have been some criticism with regard to the method of dumping house refuse into the Thames. It is stated that the preesnt system is wasteful, as some of the refuse thrown away contains materials that are of value; that it is bad for health; and that it affects the purity of the water. Mr Dawes, an offical of the Ministry of Health, who performed valuable services to the nation in connection with salvage during the war, is undertaking the present investigation. It is not generally known that there are six different methods at present in use of disposing of household refuse. Some authorities dump it indiscriminately and this practice has led to many complaints in certain localities. Others only dump refuse after taking the precautions that have been advised by the Health Ministry—of depositing it in layers with intervening layers of soil. Other methods are unloading into the sea, crushing, incineration, or, newest r' of all, separation. Under this last process the dust, which frequently amounts to 40 per cent, of the total weight of refuse, is removed, and sometimes can be used for lightening heavy soils. Curiously enough, nearly 2 per cent, of house refuse consists of metals, and these are removed either by means of magnets or by hand, and afterwards sold. Mr Dawes has specialised in the subject of making refuse a source of profit to local authorities and one of his first actions in the present investigation was to try to ascertain the component parts of refuse thrown awav in the mo'roonl:tan boroughs. It is estimated that, there are 750 000 tons annually to be disposed of in London.