m r
'
In
the Bag
-------
FILMSCRJPTS ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
This script is one of a series published to help
lecturers, teachers, and group leaders prepare for viewing
and discussion of solid waste management films. It is
also intended for those in an audience who want
a permanent record of the data presented in a film.
It was written by Stuart Finley, Inc.,
the producer of the film, in close cooperation with staff of the
Federal solid waste management program.
Titles and publication numbers of scripts
for solid waste management films are shown below.
The Third Pollution SW-39c.l
Bum, Bury, or What? SW-39c.2
Recycling SW-39c.3
5000 Dumps SW-39c.4
In the Bag SW-39c.5
The Green Box SW-39c.6
The Stuff We Throw Away SW-39c.7
What's New in Solid Waste Management? SW-39c.8
Instructions for borrowing or purchasing these films are
given with each script and are summarized in the
brochure Films Tett the Story, available from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C., 20402.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1972
-------
IN THE BAG
19 minutes, 16-mm motion picture, sound, color, 1969. Order no. M-2091-X.*
IN THE BAG presents the paper sack system of refuse storage and collection as an
efficient and economical new approach. The film describes advantages to the
householder, the collector, and the landfill 01 incinerator operator. It depicts the
application of the paper refuse sack in a variety of situations, showing residential,
recreational, industrial, commercial, and institutional uses. Suitable for business
managers, sanitarians, and municipal planners.
Dog knocks over garbage can; tilt
from Empire State Building to gar-
bage cans; New York City garbage
men load refuse
Cars on New York City street;
garbage cans tying on street; com-
pactor dumps refuse at dump;
paper blowing at dump
Housewife empties waste basket
into sack below porch
Refuse collector removes sack and
takes it to street
Old lady drags a sack to the curb
Refuse collectors bring bags to the
street
It's a throwaway world. Get it... use it... throw it away.
Ever notice that a city doesn't consume much of anything.
Food and other materials are brought into the system by rail,
truck, and ship. Conversion takes place ... and, sooner or
later, the residues must go out by sewer or wind ... garbage
scow or truck. Every year, America spends over $3 billion
collecting and disposing of solid wastes. However, the National
Academy of Sciences-National Research Council comments
that:
"Present (solid waste) collection techniques are little
better than horse-and-buggy systems with gasoline-driven
engines."
A new idea ... the disposable garbage can! People like the
paper refuse sack. It's handy, compact, light, attractive, and
clean.
You can't bang or rattle a refuse sack. No flies ... dust... or
smell. The specially made sacks have "wet strength" ... will
resist moisture ... will hold a heavy load.
Bag it and drag it... and forget garbage can scrubbing.
The people who collect refuse like the sack. Easy to carry ...
no sharp edges. The refuse sack doesn't have to be emptied,
•Borrow from: National Medical Audiovisual Center
Purchase from: Stuart Finley, Inc.
3428 Mansfield Road, Falls Church, Va. 22041
Area Code 703/820-7700
Prints-$200
Cleared for TV.
-------
thus there’s no exposure to broken glass, sloppy garbage,
pungent odors, and suffocating dust. Virtually a white collar
job!
Compactor comes and onc man
throws in sacks
Men throw sacks into open truck;
open truck on its way to landfill;
open truck dumps sacks
Compactor d gorges sacks at
hnd
Woman enipties her garbage into
refuse sack in apartment utility
room; woman puts sack out her
apartment door and talks to neigh
b c e
Maintenance man picks up sack and
leaves empty one; apartment
women grnn
Maintenance man operating little
truck to take sacks to storage
house; plating sacks in storage sa ea
But the guy who’s really enthusiastic about the sack is the
Director of Sanitation. Whether it’s a big city, a suburban
county, or a small town, refuse collection is a headache. It’s
expensive. The key factors are manual labor and expensive
equipment.
Because open refuse trucks do not confine odors, insects, and
scattered paper, and do not have as much capacity, most
collection agencies have turned to closed compaction vehicles.
However, these trucks have certain shortcomings. They are
noisy, heavy, and costly to purchase, maintain, and operate.
Now, the paper refuse sack pennits savings by relieving labor
recruitment problems and permitting the nuisance-free use of
standard trucks.
Some communities may find it more economical to use
compactors to collect sacks because of their greater
capacity... or may employ a limited fleet of compactors plus
some standard trucks.
Meantime, the sanitary engineer in charge of the landfill
operation is happy to see the sack arrive. The bag is
biodegradable... and solves the problem of blowing paper
and plastic.
One reason people live in apartments is so they won’t have to
cut grass. Another reason is so they won’t have to mess around
with garbage: “Let the management wash the garbage
cans”... or, better yet, supply rattleproof, bangproof,
rustproof, spiliproof, fly proof, smellproof, scatterproof, paper
refuse sacks.
The refuse sack can require as little as one quarter normal
maintenance time because there are no cans to clean or return.
It’s a one-way system.
The apartment manager in a typical large installation reports
that he has 130 refuse sack receptacle cabinets.. . uses about
250 bags a week... and assigns 14 hours manpower for
collecting the sacks. Total cost: $78 a week for labor and
materials.
2
-------
Zoom from Empire State Building Big city living is based on the principle of stacking people on
to man putting refuse sacks outside top of each other. When these people want to get rid of
of apartment house something, they drop it down’-a chute and thus dispose of it
effortlessly.
Building engineer puts on apron Down below, maintenance personnel try to keep up with the
and glasses contributions from above.
He shovels residue from incinerator They put it in the fiery furnace, burn it, wait for it to cool,
into refuse sack; closeup of and shovel the residue into paper refuse sacks which,
fortunately, are strong enough to hold such a heavy load.
Several types of sacks are manufactured. Most are 33 feet high
and hold 30 gallons. . . more than the average garbage can.
Refuse collectors throw sacks into The outside men find it easy to load the bags into a truck.
collection truck
Same refuse collectors load refuse However, frequently the old fashioned ash can is used. It is
from ash cans with difficulty and awkward to handle... often is too heavy for one man .. . is
dust dusty... and all the debris is out in the open, ready to cut,
snag, and spill.
Woman stuffs garbage bag into dis- Municipal air pollution controls are discouraging the
posal chute construction of new small individually operated incinerators.
Garbage bag drops into compactor So, as this lady disposes of her refuse, its bulk is reduced by a
and machine operates; wide shot of mechanical compactor located in the basement. This one
same unit rotates when the sack is filled.
Point-of-origin compaction creates economy in set-out,
collection, transfer, haul to the landfill, and landfill disposal.
Horizontal compactor in operation This horizontal compactor also compresses the material into a
paper refuse sack. The snout protects the sack during the
compaction process.
As new technology is developed to provide better solid waste
management, these new methods often prove to be
compatible. Here the compactor and the refuse sack work
together as a team.
School children eating lunch in Lunch is a fun period at school. -. but when it’s over, you
cafeteria; children drop food and have to have a place to put all that uneaten spinach, today’s
paper trays into sack disposable knives, forks and spoons, dishes, and trays. It’s a
hard-to-handle conglomeration.., bulky, heavy, sharp, wet,
putrescible. The refuse sack to the rescue! Wet strength is the
secret. A specially treated, rugged kraft paper resists the
3
-------
moisture. A special sewed or glued bottom design holds the
heavy load.
Refuse sack at swimming pool; girl Everywhere . . . food!
throws in refuse
Food leftovers .. . garbage.
The refuse sack is a sanitary garbage gobbler.
Woman prepares food in a restau- The way to size up a restaurant is to visit its kitchen. A clean
rant kitchen kitchen plus skillful food preparation equals a good place to
eat. And the ever-present refuse sack is on the job.
Man cutting excess fat off steaks Whether you’re disposing of garbage or packaging fat for sale
to a renderer, once you close the sack. .. odors are trapped
inside... flies are kept out. A recent study in California
revealed that disposable sacks were over 90 percent more
effective against fly population growth than conventional cans.
Ski slope; skiers The easy-to-carry sack on a ski slope in Vermont...
Children in zoo; lady picks up ... or in your favorite zoo: “Now, what can I do with this?
litter, looks around, sees sack, puts Oh, yes. . . there’s one of those paper thing-a-ma-jigs.”
itin
Washington, D.C. street cleaner at A few years ago, before refuse sacks came on the scene, this
work using sack system fellow used to wheel around a heavy metal can. When it was
filled, he’d empty the assorted litter and debris in a pile at a
street corner. Sometimes a collection truck would stop by and
pick it up; other times, the wind and passing traffic would do
the job.
Hospital uses sack In addition to garbage and trash, hospitals must collect and
dispose of surgery, autopsy, and treatment room wastes so as
to prevent infections and airborne contamination.
Refuse sack in shop They call these miscellaneous applications of the refuse sack
“I -C -I”... institutional, commercial, industrial. Wherever
there’s a special solid waste, the refuse sack and its various
individually designed receptacle units can solve the problem.
Motel using the sack Most institutional, commercial, and industrial applications can
produce demonstrable savings, and many, such as this motel,
are pleased with the way the sack system quietly and cleanly
fits into normal maintenance procedures.
Roadside rest area using sack In public roadside rest areas, bus stops, shopping centers, and
system
4
-------
parks, the local government has a responsibility to supply litter
receptacles and frequent collection service.
Office cleanup Often the refuse sack has wheels. But a refuse can could have
wheels. What’s the advantage? There are several: every trip is a
one-way trip. . . you never have to wash or clean out a refuse
sack. .. you don’t need a refuse can storeroom for empties. In
the competitive building maintenance business, labor is
the only significant factor. When the sack saves cleanup time,
maintenance costs go way down.
Friendship Aiport If you happen to run an airport or a hotel, factory, or
whatever.., and you want to find out how much you can
save by instaffing the refuse sack system, call a member of the
National Refuse Sack Council and ask for an analysis and
documented case histories.
Compactor aew collects refuse in The “perfect” solid waste solution is tailored to the individual
Antherst, Virginia situation: big city or small town, urban living or rural setting,
service charge or services performed. Whatever type of service,
the public benefits when the refuse sack eliminates trash can
return, speeds service, silences the clatter, and saves money.
Sacks in the rain; Sanitation De- The Sanitation Department contemplating the use of the
partment superv or wet-tests a sack refuse sack must be prepared to answer certain questions.
Since the average grocery bag would fall apart if filled with
damp or wet garbage or refuse, citizens suspect that the refuse
sack wifi too. The solution is the use of a tough, kraft paper,
strong enough to stand upright, rigid and stretchproof and yet
with porosity to allow moisture evaporation. All refuse sacks
have “wet strength” but there are several branda of sacks and
different grades. And there are several alternative ways of
using the sack: the community could bear the entire cost
the community could purchase the bags and property owners
could buy the hardware of their choice . . . or the community
could purchase the hardware and the homeowner could pay
for the bags. The plan could be citywide or voluntary. These
are all local decisions. In communities which have switched to
the refuse sack, public reaction is overwhelming. Usually, 98
percent want the sack system continued and 86 percent are
willing to pay the slight additional charge for the sacks in
order to continue this superior sanitation service. But public
reaction is only part of the story. The new system can
modernize a Sanitation Department. Injury and illness of
collection employees go way down when the sack is used. One
5
-------
town found its Insurance premiums for collectors dropped
from $16,000 a year to $7,200. . more than half.
Dog knocks over garbage can; man
picks up refuse and throws it in
truck; youngsters trim hedge and
use refuse sack for clippings; truck
picks up sacks easily
Final scene of sack pickup
Today’s shortage and high cost of labor is forcing
municipalities to convert to curbside collection service. The
use of the refuse sack solves the problem of blowing cans and
lids and unsightly streets by leaving a litter free attractive
street - . . thus solving a sticky political problem by providing a
peaceful transition from backdoor service to curbside service.
Several years ago, the American Public Works Association
issued a special report on Solid Wastes Research Needs. One of
the proposed projects was to evaluate refuse containers to
determine types most suitable for storing various kinds of
refuse under specific conditions. The A.P.W.A. report
commented:
“The cylindrical metal cans now used to store refuse by
most homeowners and many businesses and institutions
have a number of disadvantages. Metal cans become
unsightly, bend easily, rust, fall apart, are relatively
heavy, noisy, and difficult to keep clean, often lose their
covers, and blow away on windy days.
The members of the National Refuse Sack Council have helped
solve this technical problem by manufacturing and offering for
sale a variety of types of sacks and holders. The local
application is a challenge which can only be met by officials of
America’s cities and counties.
a633
6
759-397!I3
------- |