Evening star., 1942-10-12
Refuse Head Oppose!
Plan 10 Build Plant
For Shredding Cans
xonten Says Collection
Will Be Less Costly If
Citizens Prepare Them

Preliminary plans for construc-
ton here of "shredding plant" to
cut up for compact shipment old
tin cans expected to be collected in
a salvage drive have met with op-
position from local officials who
already had made plans for collec-
tion of old cans prepared" by the
householder, it was learned today.
Such a shredding plant was
scheduled to be built in Washing
ton, it was announced by the H. K.
Ferguson Co., industrial engineers
and builders of Cleveland and New
York. This firm, in a statement
today, listed Washington among II
cities where such plants would be
constructed according to present
plans"
The Ferguson company had been
awarded contracts by Defense Plant
Corp. to design and construct new
facilities and make necessary addi-
tions to existing facilities to almost
double the Nations present de-
timing capacity.
scope Limited Now.
Salvage of tin cans had been go
ing on in only few selected cit
les because of the limited facilities
OF defining factories. Under the
expansion program, according to
the Ferguson company. it would be
possible to increase the present re-
covery Of 5000 tons of tin and 2e7,-
900 tons of steel from old tin cans,
to 5000 tons Of tin and $4,000 tons
OF steel year by the middle of 1943.
William A. Xanten, supervisor of
city refuse, said that preliminary
plans for the Washington can SAL
wage campaign had been built on
the proposal that householders
should prepare the old cans for
collection. This preparation would
consist Of washing the cans free of
food, paper and dirt, cutting both
ends off, f1attening the sides almost
together and inserting the ends into
the f1attened can. Collection of
such prepared" cans would be
many times less expensive than COL
lection Of cans which had not been
cleaned and crushed, Mr.. Xanten
said.
On the other hand, those favoring
the shredding plant process claim
that more cans could be collected if
householders were permitted to turn
them in uncleaned.
Final determination as to what to
do about the shredding plant for
Washington, to employ only rela-
lively few workers, had not been
reached today. The problem was
under consideration at the War Pro-
duction Board, and by the Ferguson
company.
Cost Estimates Under Way.
Estimates on the costs Of collecting
tin cans here are being prepared by
Mr.. Xanten and will be presented
soon to the District Commissioners,
he said.
To make old tin cans usable, 1t
was explained. tin and steel must
be separated not only TO. obtain the
critically'reeded tif1,Aout also forsthe
steel scrap that makes up approx
mately SO per cent by weight of
every tin can.
First phase of the detinning ex-
pansion program will be the ad-
dition of "can preparation" equip
ment at existing plants, at Carteret,
N. j.: East Chicago, Ind; Neville
Island, Pa, and Baltimore, Nd, the
Ferguson Co. announced.
This equipment is necessary to
make it possible for existing plants
to clean old cans, which must be
free of food particles, solder. var
nish, enamels and dirt before the
tin can be removed. In the past,
these plants have detinned only
tin plate scrap-the clean plate re-
manning after shapes were stamped
out for cans.
Until this preparation" equip
ment is added. the plant at Carteret
is the only existing place equipped
to detin cans that have not al
ready been prepared" by the orig
inal user.
These additions to existing plants
will be Leased by Defense Plant
Corp. to their present operators.
Construction of new detinning
plants equipped with the necessary
can preparation facilities will be
started Immediately at New York
City, Buffalo. Chicago, Birming-
ham, Ala; Dallas, Tex, and Los
Angeles
Because of collection and trans
portation problems it will be neces-
sary to construct shredding plants
in approximately II metropolitan
areas selected with a view to pop
ulation centers, and with respect
to empty freight car movements
towards existing and new de-
timing plants The shredding
plants will require only a few en-
ployes