Location of Refuse Storage Area 
The location of refuse containers, except on the 
days of collection, is usually selected for the 
convenience of the premise occupant. Commonly, 
this is near a side or rear door of the home or 
near the rear door of the business establishment. 
Where the community provides yard collection, it is 
not necessary to change the location on collection 
days. Where curb or alley collection is practiced, 
the occupant must move the containers to the point 
of collection on the days designated. 
If the distance between the back of the house 
and the rear property line is not too great, and 
alleys exist, containers are frequently located per- 
manently just inside the property line. This is 
convenient for the collection crew and not too 
inconvenient for the householder. In addition, this 
permanent location at the point of pick-up elimi- 
nates the possibility that the premise occupant 
will forget to place the containers at the alley on 
the day of collection. When this occurs, as it often 
does, the storage facility soon becomes overloaded 
and garbage and rubbish are left exposed to flies 
and rats. 
Where the distance between the back of the 
house and the alley is so great as to inconvenience 
the occupant, or where curb collection is practiced, 
containers usually are stored solely to suit the 
occupant’s convenience and are moved to the point 
of collection on the proper day. Better maintenance 
of racks and containers will result when they are 
exposed to the scrutiny of the neighbors. 
Proper Maintenance of Refuse 
Containers 
The responsibility of the householder does not 
end with the emptying of the container by the refuse 
collection crew. Post collection maintenance is 
especially important in fly and rodent control, as 
well as in odor control. Where curb collection is 
practiced, the h useholder should return the con- 
tainers from the curb to the normal storage location 
as soon as possible after collections have been 
made. This will minimize the possibility of damage 
to the container aid lid and will reduce the time 
during which flies would have access should the 
collectors fail to replace lids. 
If garbage is adequately wrapped, or if a paper 
lining is used in the container, frequent washing 
may not be necessary. When any liquid or solid 
residue remains, it should be washed from the can. 
preferably into the sewer system. This is important, 
for extensive fly breeding occurs in accumulate ! 
garbage in the bottom and on the sides of con- 
tainers. Schoof, Mail and Savage (1954) ( 42 ) report 
that garbage in containers represented 38.3 percent 
of the fly infested media in Phoenix, Arizona, in 
1951 and 1952. If the container is washed and the 
washings emptied on the ground, food scraps mav 
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