Civic and Rural Improwmcnt 



PLAN TO CARRY OFF HOUSE WASTES 



BY MISS BESSIE LIVINGSTONE, OTTAWA. 



EVERY housekeeper knows that there 

 are many wastes going in in every 

 department of the house. I shall endeavor 

 to outline some methods of disposing of 

 household wastes. Every housekeeper in 

 the country is confronted with the difficult 

 problem of dealing with this subject. In 

 the towns and cities some co-operative sys- 

 tem is arranged, and the town householder 

 has very little to do with the disposal of a 

 great deal of the refuse, except what really 

 occurs in the cooking and preparation of 

 foods, and the ordinary accumulation of 

 dirt. In the country the question of dis- 

 posing of refuse must be ^ealt with indi- 

 vidually. Many cases of illness in the coun- 

 try are due to neglect and carelessness re- 

 garding sanitary matters surrounding the 

 farm and farm home. I might also speak 

 of the unattractiveness of the farm home, 

 where there is much refuse left lying 

 around. 



In suggesting the topic of " Disposing of 

 Household Wastes " to Mr. Creelman, it 

 was with special reference to the disposal of 

 household waste in the country. In the 

 towns and cities a co-operative system is 

 acted upon, according to a consensus of 

 public opinion, and. though municipal house- 

 keeping is far from perfect, and the best 

 systems are criticised by sanitary experts, 

 yet, as I said, the system is fairly satisfac- 

 tory, and the occurrence of sickness or epi- 

 demics* usually causes the health boards to 

 look carefully into the cause of the out- 

 break, and the laws are periodically en-, 

 forced with vigor. The principles under- 

 lying methods of keeping the surroundings 



sanitary and attractive in the country are 

 essentially the same, only the conditions 

 vary. In the country each one must attend 

 to these matters for himself. 



Usually a wide area of distribution, out- 

 side occupation, a more plentiful supply of 

 fresh air, purer food, will prevent illness, 

 even where faulty systems of disposal are in 

 evidence. Very often you will hear people 

 accept with resignation an illness or death, 

 as a dispensation of providence, when it 

 really means that the accident is due to 

 drinking impure water, inhaling vitiated air, 

 or from some unsanitary condition. 



This question of clean soil, pure air and 

 water, and the speedy and complete removal 

 of the waste of daily life in the house and 

 street should be intelligently understood by 

 every householder and every housewife. It 

 is a question of vital importance in relation 

 to public health and the health of the indi- 

 vidual. 



The household wastes to be disposed of 

 consist of vegetable refuse, such as parings 

 of vegetables and fruits, and decayed vege- 

 tables and fruits, bones and scraps returned 

 from the table, dust and ashes, old rags and 

 papers, broken dishes, china and glassware, 

 old tinware, dishwater and soapsuds, closet 

 and bathroom sewage. Some convenient 

 receptacle for all such materials as may be 

 used as food for animals should be provided, 

 and for the disposal of this c'ass of waste 

 we need only say, that the more frequently 

 it is disposed of the better. 



The garbage receptacle should be emptied 

 at least twice daily. It should be kept cov- 

 ered and thoroughly cleansed every day. 



