Right On, Hugh

摘要

Welcome to the first MVO of the new year. While the tumultuous events of last year could so easily take our collective minds off waste and recycling issues, we really must keep our eye on the ball. Why? Because a "fit-for-purpose" waste and recycling policy is surely at the heart of civilisation and the health and well-being of our population? That message was driven home during the latter half of 2015. Y'see I've been asked to write a book on the history of refuse collection and street cleansing vehicles - you might catch me promoting it on BBC's The One Show any day now, but then, perhaps not! My research underlined just how much our society takes regular waste collection and street cleansing for granted, today. As a direct consequence of horse-drawn traffic in Victorian and Edwardian times, improving the state of unsealed road surfaces was a key objective for local authorities with mud and slurry in winter, dust and smell in summer. Refuse collection, drainage and clean water provisions were, likewise, top priorities.