residential areas the garbage should he collected 
at least twice a week during the fly breeding season 
to hold fly production to a minimum, and rubbish 
should be collected at least once each week. In 
business districts all refuse should be collected 
daily. 
When combined refuse collection is practiced, 
service should be provided at least twice a week 
during the fly breeding season and once a week in 
all other seasons. This practice will favor sanitary 
storage and will contribute to an environment 
adverse to flies, mosquitoes, and rats. 
The inventory reported in “Refuse Handling 
Practices in the United States” (27) reveals that 
there is still much work to be done toward realizing 
sufficiently frequent collection in this country. Of 
284 cities, only 197 reported collections of garbage 
twice a week or more frequently during the summer 
months. Eighty-five, or about 30 percent, reported 
that collections are only once each week, while 
two reported collections of less than once a week. 
Collection Crews 
Trained crews, realizing the importance of their 
work, willing to handle the premise occupant’s 
property carefully, and able to meet the householder 
courteously when necessary, constitute a valuable 
asset to an effective collection system. 
Careless crews can destroy public cooperation 
by damaging containers so that they are no longer 
acceptable for refuse storage. Owners can some- 
times rightfully blame poorly trained crews for 
dented rims, bent and smashed lids and cans, lids 
completely missing, damage to can holders or 
racks, and spillage near containers. All these 
results of negligence are conducive to higher pest 
and vector populations. It is very difficult to in- 
duce people to buy new containers when they have 
experienced such service. 
Crews should be well trained. Careful handling 
of personal property of all types should be empha- 
sized to the crew members. Uniforms provided by 
some municipalities insure the neat appearance of 
collectors at all times. Information concerning the 
collection department should be furnished to the 
crews so that they can answer questions asked by 
householders. Collection personnel represent the 
local government and should be careful, efficient, 
and courteous at all times. 
Adequate pay and favorable working conditions 
for collection personnel will aid in recruitment of 
more responsible individuals, will result in better 
service, and will reduce absenteeism and turnover 
of personnel in the department responsible for 
collection. 
One incentive used by numerous cities to attract 
and retain personnel is the “task system.” Under 
this system each truck and crew has a given route 
to cover each day, with the number of pickups and 
the distance covered considered to represent a 
reasonable day’s work. When the route has been 
covered, the truck and crew return to the garage. 
If no complaints from the route are outstanding, the 
crew is free to leave. If there are complaints, such 
as failure to collect from one or more properties, 
they must be satisfied. The men are paid for an 8 
hour day whether they have worked 8 hours or not. 
When properly controlled, this system has some 
advantages. It discourages loitering and improves 
the employees attitude in that he is pleased to be 
able to “get off” an hour or so early. However, 
without adequate controls, the system encourages 
haste, which frequently results in spillage, skips, 
and careless handling and damage to the containers. 
REFUSE DISPOSAL 
Introduction 
Disposal is normally the final operation in the 
handling of refuse. Although performed last, in the 
organization of an integrated handling system it 
must be planned first since it has an important 
influence on both storage and collection. 
The disposal of refuse is probably the most 
neglected phase of the total refuse handling system. 
There are many towns where storage and collection 
are reasonably good but where disposal is far from 
sanitary. Seven hundred ninety-six, or 69 percent, 
of the 1,149 communities reporting in the Public- 
Health Service inventory (27) were using the open- 
dump method of disposal. Most open dumps at the 
edge of a community are found to be smoky, foul- 
smelling, rat-infested, fly-breeding centers fmn 
which rats and flies migrate into the communits . 
with small containers that catch and hold water 
providing a habitat for mosquito development. 
Furthermore, the hog farm that practices garb.ic- 
feeding often proves to be a malodorous and vr\ 
productive source of vermin. 1 nder these circum- 
stances, the best storage and collection prat 
are nullified to a considerable degree. 
Regardless of how diligently the householder or 
bus inessman attempts to control flies on his prem- 
13 
