Evening star., 1942-11-09
Special Trucks Begin
Collecting Tin Cans
Throughout District
New Drive Is Expected
To Salvage 200 Tons
Of Metal Monthly

With more than an estimated
As. 100000 pounds of scrap metal al
ready credited to the District since
July l the salvage campaign total
was expected to leap ahead many
thousands of pounds this week with
the start of tin can collections here.
Eleven special District refuse
trucks, leach manned by driver
and two laborers, made the rounds
this morning at homes where only
trash normally is collected on Mon
days.
Collections proceeded much more
slowly this morning than expected
by refuse chiefs, who reported at
noon that none of the IL trucks had
returned with full load.
Originally, they had expected
each of the II trucks to fill up twice
today, but early this afternoon it
was indicated that the days work
might not even result in the COL
lection of II full loads.
M. NJ Beck, assistant superin-
tendent of trash collections, sur
veyed the situation this morning
and reported it was his general
impression that cans were not
available in great abundance, but
those which were put out by house.
holders were prepared correctly.
Tin can pickups will continue to-
morrow, Thursday, Friday and Sat-
urday.
No Pickup Wednesday.
There will be no trash or can col
lections on Wednesday, Armistice
Day. The extra pickups will be
made Saturday, William A. Xanten,
District refuse chief, announced.
Normally trash collections are not
made Saturday, he said but the
revised schedule is necessary be-
cause of the holiday this week.
District householders, Mr. Xanten
said, are expected to salvage ap-
proximately 200 tons-or 100000
pounds-of tin cans each month, SO
per cent of which will yield No. l
scrap steel for Americas OPEN
hearth furnaces.
This figure, he said. is based on a
production estimate for Washington
of one ton per 1000 persons per
month, or approximately 800 tons
per month for the Districts 100000
population. Approximately one
fourth of the tin cans in use, it is
hoped, will be salvaged.
If these estimates prove accurate,
tin can collections between now and
January and will add about 100000
pounds to the Districts scrap metal
total.
First Load Leaves Tonight.
The collection plan for this week,
Mr. Xanten said, is only a tempo
rary arrangement and will be
shelved next Monday in favor of
collections by the citys garbage
trucks.
Cans will be gathered on regular
garbage collection days, which, at
this time of the year, come twice
weekly.
AS trucks loaded with tin cans
filled today, they moved to the
garbage transfer station at New
Jersey avenue and K street Sc,
where the accumulations were
dumped into freight cars. The first
trainload is expected to leave to-
night for detinning plant in Pitts
burgh, Pa.
Preparation Called Important.
Mr.. Xanten underscored again the
Importance of preparing the tin cans
in order to facilitate collections. He
warned that if cans are not properly
handled by householders, they will
be rejected.
Householders are asked to be
guided by the following instructions:
l. Cans must be cleaned with label
and both ends removed. Cans must
be firmly flattened. Step hard on
can but do not use hammer. In
clude tops and bottoms of cans in
collection.
3. Do not place prepared cans in
paper bags or paper cartons.
4. Place cans collected in a suit
able container, such as wooden box
or metal receptacle, beside trash
receptacle on the day of trash COL
lections. Next week, follow this rule
on garbage collection days.
5. Paint, oil, varniSh, floor polish
and beer cans with cone-shaped tops
are not wanted All food and to-
bacco tin cans are wanted.
"Jalopy" Drive Lags.
Meanwhile the Districts ''jalopy
campaign" designed to collect 1000
junked and abandoned automobiles
during November, is progressing at
a slower pace than anticipated,
Horace Walker, salvage committee
executive secretary, announced
today.
Although approximately $50 jalop-
les have been tabled as prospects for
the junk heap, the salvage COM