SALVAGE OF WASTE

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 250, 20 July 1942, Page 4

SALVAGE OF WASTE

No Plans For House Collection DELIVERY AT DEPOT BY PUBLIC The belief that the existing organizations such as the Salvation Army, the W.W.S.A., and school children would be adequate to cope with the collection aud salvage of the greatly increased quantities of used paper available now that it is an offence under emergency regulations to abandon or destroy it, was expressed by the chairman of the National Council for the Reclamation of Waste, Mr. Charles Todd. He said he was hopeful that all that would be necessary was to awaken the public to the necessity of conserving waste and they would bring rubber and paper to the depots themselves. Experience suggested that while most i>eople would be ready to co-operate, few had the means or the inclination to deliver this waste to the few depots already in Wellington. Mr. Todd added that he did not think it would be necessary to police the regulations to ensure that they were observed aud said that no arrangements to do so had been considered.

The shortage of labour and trucks made it difficult to arrange for systematic house-to-house collections, but the Dominion Oil Fuel Controller bad in the past allowed special licences for this work. School children in nearly every school in the Dominion had been active in the collection of paper, Mr. Todd said, though he admitted that arrangements for this to be done were left to the discretion of the headmasters.

In the interests of sanitation niutiy people wrap kitchen refuse in a piece of newspaper before putting it in the rubbish tin and there appears to be some doubt whether this is permitted by the regulations. Mr. Todd said that he was not prepared to give a ruling on this, but suggested that greasy and greaseproof paper which is not acceptable for repulping could be used for the purpose. Tho> New Zealand Motor Traders’ Association had offered to handle the reclamation of rubber, of which it was estimated that there were 10,000 tons in the country. Householders would be expected to take scrap rubber such as old tyres, heels of shoes, mats, and water bottles to their nearest garage, Details for the utilization of this had still to be worked out by the Government, said Mr. Todd.