Restoration of 100 Year Old Horse Drawn Refuse Wagon
100 Years of Waste Management in Tameside
- 1907 Dukinfield Corporation collected ash from residents using a horse drawn refuse vehicle.
- 1930’s Houses were heated by burning coal. Paper and food waste were often burnt on kitchen fires.
- 1930’s Horse drawn wagons were replaced by motorised vehicles for collecting waste.
- 1950’s There was a sharp rise in plastics manufacture but little thought was given to the disposal problems associated with these.
- 1956 The Clean Air Act was introduced (leading to a decrease in the number of fires in homes). Waste composition changed from mainly ash to other wastes such as food and paper that would normally have been burnt.
- 1974 Control of Pollution Act (landfill sites had to be licensed and details of the type / volume of waste recorded).
- 1987 Introduction of black-wheeled bins for household waste in Tameside.
- Since 1994 waste disposal controlled by waste management regulations. Landfill sites regulated by Environment Agency.
- 1994 Blue bins introduced for the collection of waste paper in Tameside.
- 2003 Green bins (140 litre) introduced for the collection of mixed glass bottles and jars together with red sacks for plastic bottles/film and cans.
- 2004 Brown bins (240 litre) introduced for the collection of garden waste.
- 2006 Introduction of the first trial managed collection round in one area of the borough. Recycling rate in this area doubles.
- 2007 PFI contract awarded to Greater Manchester.
1907
Restoration of a 100 year old horse drawn refuse wagon by Tameside MBC
Wagon before restoration work started. The wagon was previously being used as a promotional vehicle for Tarmac UK.
The stripping down of the wagon
Reconstruction of the chassis
Paint work done in the original green and red Dukinfield Corporation colours
Original processes were used to restore the wheels to the original specification.
Sign writing and lettering done as an exact replica of the 1907 cart. Work completed by the grandson of the original sign writer.
Civic reception at Dukinfield Town Hall, where the wagon was first used to collect ash waste 100 years earlier.
Page last updated: 18 March 2011