Evening star., 1945-07-08
DC. Tin Salvage Falls
Two-Thirds Below
Pre-V-E Day Level

Despite bdrrage OF pleas 10
salvage tin to beat Japan, Washing
tonians are saving only one-third
the cans they did during the Euro
pean war.
The Salvage Committee says cit
izens apparently cannot be bothered
with saving cans because they think
the war is over.
Some citizens questioned by The
Star retorted that they saved their
cans and the Salvage Committee
did not pick them up.
10000 Pounds Last Month.
Il guess people think the war is
over" William A. Xanten, Refuse
Department superintendent, in
charge of home can collection, said
Mr.. Xanten stressed that he did
not wish to ''scold" Washington
housewives and fiattening cans is a
"burdensome business he said. In
stead, he indicated he is grateful
for the 10000 pounds of cans turned
in last month. But he wishes he
had the 250,000 pounds that once
were salvaged monthly.
Eric Marks of the conservation
and salvage division of the War Pro-
duction Board, is in charge of the
collection from apartment houses.
He said he has volunteer trucks to
pick up cans from $50 Washington
apartment houses. He is just wait
ing for the janitors to tell him
to come get the cans, he said. Not
many CALL
Homeowners, JanitorS Confused.
The nomeowners and the janitors,
on the other hand, said they were
confused about the collection meth
ods and consider them slow.
For example, a Chevy Chase
homeowner said he flattened dozens
of cans and left them out in the
backyard with the garbage, as di-
rected. The garbage man ignored
the cans for days. The homeowner
stopped saving cans.
Mr.. Xanten replied that home
collection is supposed to be done
automatically by garbage men within
a week after the cans appear. He
has had huge hoppers fastened to
the backs of garbage trucks for
cans. Citizens get impatient" when
the drivers do not have enough room
for the cans or are little rushed
the first trip the cans are there,
Mr. Xanten said.
Complaints Investigated.
eve must allow for the human
element" he said, adding that cans
are extra work for the refuse col
lectors. He investigates all COM
plants of noncollection. Mr.. Xanten
asked that complaining citizens call
him direct.
Mr.. Xanten added that he knows
citizens have plenty of cans because
he finds them mixed up with the
trash. Once placed in the garbage
or trash. the cans are worthless for
salvage because of the incineration
process.
Apartment and restaurant collec-
ton, on the other hand, no longer
is automatic. Routine pickups were
stopped 10 months ago when trucks
were not regularly available. Now
the janitors are supposed to call
Republic 8488 when they get more
than a barrel of cans.
Notices Not Received.
Several large apartment houses
informed The Star they never had
received any notice from the SAL
wage committee of the cancellation
of automatic collections.
I'VE wait and wait for the pickup
and nothing happens" one man
ager said. mo, they never told us
we had to telephone them now"
Mr.. Marks said all apartment
houses were circularized month
ago informing them of the shift and
that notices also were carried in
the newspapers.
Meanwhile, the collections here
are SO low the detinning plant at
Baltimore is running at only so per
cent capacity. Mr.. Xanten and Mr.
Marks expected summer collections
would be somewhat smaller because
of the fresh vegetable season. But
they discount the influence of ra-
tioning on the can salvage, saying
some substantial collection months
had been noted during the severest
can shortages
"A a