The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-16
GARBAGE SCHEME
OF MR.. DUNNING
May Be Tried In Central City as an
Experiment
TO BE COVERED BY AN ORDINANCE
Measure Has Been Drafted aud will
he Presented soon TO Councils.
Provides for All the Collecting in
the Central city TO BE Done by One
Individual or Company at No Cost
to Individuals or the municipality.

Street Commissioner A. Il. Dunning
has prepared for presentation to Coun-
ellis an ordinance providing for the col
lection OF wet and dry garbage by one
person or company in the central city
wards. The measure Will be read at
next week Thursdays meeting of COM
mon council or at the session of the
select branch the first Thursday in
March.
While the ordinance has not been
finished in detail a general draft has
been prepared and it's provisions re-
vealed to a Tribune reporter. 1t has
several objects: To relieve housekeep-
ers from all expense for the removal of
refuse, to compel collections three times
week, to insure better sanitary con-
ditions, to prevent the present drip
pings and Siftings on the pavements
from improperly constructed carts.
For several months well known
business man has been experimenting
with garbage collections and become
satisfied that profit can he made from
sortings from even limited district.
This is so clearly established that the
street commissioner has been led to
draft an ordinance in reference to the
matter. 1t will be presented to coun-
ellis with a communication eXpla lining
| its advantages. No lobbying will be
attempted to secure its passage, Mr.
Dunning says. as it is plain that the
measure would bring great relief
through the abandonment of the pres
ent crude and hap-hazzard system
and councils will have to take the re-
sponsibility of refusing to bring about
an improvement.
THE PRESENT SYSTEM.
At present large number if ire
sponsible persons, poorly equipped with
| leaky wagons and ambling horses. are
paid by householders to remove garb-
| age at irregular intervals. Frequently
the refuse is not removed oftener than
once a week and in many cases not at
all, the wet garbage being burned in
stoves and furnaces and ashes and
other dry stuff piled in back yards to
await the advent of spring. The
| irregular collections and the drippings
from the wagons, it is claimed, is mani
| testify unclean and unhealthful
According to the provisions of the
| ordinance the privilege of collections
would be awarded to the person or
company considered the most reliable
and who would guarantee the best col
| lection equipment and system. Iron
carts would be insisted upon and it
would be demanded that they be
| flushed nightly. Storekeepers. tenants
| and householders would be obliged to
| deliver their sweepings. refuse, swill,
| garbage. barrels, boxes, packing and
| all similar kinds of debris to the per-
son or company designated by coun-
| ellis.
The system of sorting by the con-
| tractor would probably he that uni
versally employed throughout the east
| and in many European cities The wet
| and dry garbage would be separated
! by the householder and similarly col
| lected. At the garbage plant the wet
! stuff would be divided into fats and
! Swill, the former for commercial use
| and the latter for hog feed.
Sorting the dry garbage would be the
most extensive yet simple part of the
work. A long. wide belt running over
| a table of rollers would slowly carry
| the contents of the garbage bin through
! two lines of pickers. Each picker would
! be assigned to remove one, two or three
certain kinds of stuff from the belt
! Thus MANILA paper white paper, rags
! leather, carpet, rubber, glass, iron, lead
| brass, copper, zinc, tin. hair. cloth, car
| pet. etc, would he separated The dust
and dirt from the garbage would he
more than sufficient fuel to generate
steam and run the electric light plant.
COSTS THOUSANDS A YEAR.
At present the city is under con-
| siderable expense at its crematory
which is managed by the board Of
health, and property owners pay thou
sands of dollars to ashmen and garbage
men. Mr.. Dunning claims for his
scheme that it would reduce crematory
| expenses, do away with the present
| individual cost to householders.
One objection offered is that the plan
would destroy the income of the pres
ent garbage men. That is admitted
| by those friendly to the reform, but
| they argue that the objection is more
than balanced by the benefits to accrue
! from the new system.