Mexborough and Swinton Times, February 4, 1927

Handling Dustbins – Sanitary Inspector’s Smart Idea

An ingenious device for handling justice has been invented by Mr George H Bates, sanitary inspector to the Bolton on Dearne Urban District Council, and is now in use, we understand, in the urban district of Bolton, Thurnscoe, Wombwell and Swinton.

One effect of the great increase in number of houses erected in the district, together with the modern method of building in small blocks instead of long streets, has been to increase the manual labour involved in collecting dustbin.

Many of the modern houses stand at a considerable distance from the road, and in some cases the scavengers have to carry dustbins a distance of 40 yards or more to the scavenging cart. The bins when loaded often weigh as much as 1 hundredweight, and hitherto they have had to be handled by main strength.

Mr Bates has contrived a simple carriage which reduces the labour of this operation very considerably. The carriage is a frame on wheels, with two iron projections at the bottom, in which are fashioned round pieces of wood, so arranged that when the carriage is pushed up to the bin, the iron projections fit into the handles, the bin is lifted up, swung clear of the ground, and easily wheeled to the road.

The saving in exertion and in time is far greater than the cost of the carriage, which is quite inexpensive, and can be made locally.

The machine is so obviously handy and economical that it will probably come into general use, its efficiency having been thoroughly tested and proved,