Domestic Civil Defence - Sewage Disposal

Annex : Domestic Incineration of Refuse

Crisis Disposal of Refuse :

As has been indicated on the refuse and sewage pages, much the best solution for permanent solid refuse disposal is to compost what will rot down and to recycle that proportion (mostly plastic and metal) which will never rot down. However, there are situations when to dispose of refuse by burning it is the only solution. In this case, it is important to use an incinerator design that does the following :-

• Contains the unburnt refuse so it cannot be attacked by gulls, rats and other vermin.
• Dries the refuse before incineration by using the heat of gases rising from the burning area.
• Provides enough air input to help dry and burn the refuse.
• Burns the refuse at as high a temperature as possible, to reduce it to inert ash.
• Separates the ash from the firebed to prevent it from becoming choked.

YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU SITE AN INCINERATOR AND WHAT YOU BURN IN IT :-

• DO put up the incinerator in an open space and downwind of inhabited buildings.
• DO sort rubbish out and put dangerous or unsuitable materials aside for other disposal.
• DO make a bonfire of dry rubbish to really heat up the incinerator before adding any damp rubbish or green wood.
• NEVER BURN PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) PLASTICS IN AN INCINERATOR. PVC is the glossy plastic sheet that 'crackles' when crushed in the hand or which is used in rigid shrink-wrapping. IT PRODUCES POISONOUS DIOXIN FUMES AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID.
• NEVER BURN RUBBER, POLYSTYRENE FOAM, FURNITURE FOAM INSULATION, ENGINE OIL, DIESEL OIL PETROL (Gasoline) OR PAINT IN AN INCINERATOR - the fumes can poison or choke or may even EXPLODE.
• NEVER PUT OLD AEROSOL CANS OR 'EMPTY' GAS BOTTLES IN AN INCINERATOR OR YOU WILL TURN IT INTO A DEADLY BOMB THAT CAN KILL OR MAIM YOU OR OTHERS.

There are five possible choices for the householder :-

Honeycomb Incinerator Refuse Dryer Detail	(1) : Honeycomb or Brazier Incinerator : This design is suitable for dry refuse and is basically an enclosed bonfire sitting on a strong grate of steel mesh. Damp refuse can be placed on a hopper of two pieces of corrugated iron, so that it dries before being shaken down onto the bonfire. The Honeycomb incinerator resembles an openwork square box made of bricks, resting on a strong metal mesh, itself supported on a pair of two brick thick walls. The bricks above the mesh (which should be something like a pair of steel foot-scrapers or two overlapping layers of weldmesh) are laid with spaces between the bricks. I will try to scan in a copy of an illustration from an old Civil Defence book. I have tested one of these myself in a WRVS exercise and found it amazingly efficient. The advantage is that assembly and dismantling are easy and rapid - but the brick or blockwork must be of fired bricks, not of cement block, sandstone or other friable or porous material. For greater stability, the bricks can be mortared together with a stiff 'pug' or mud of water and clay or soil. I wondered about a version of this made out of clay with holes and fired in a bonfire before use - it might be worth having where brushwood is plentiful and bricks absent. Even rough bricks hand-made and bonfire-fired would be worth trying. The old watchman's brazier, made from a drum with its top removed, then holed in base and sides by a cold chisel or pickaxe, is a kind of honeycomb incinerator.
Inclined Plane Incinerator	(2) : Inclined Plane Incinerator : Although not very efficient, this is easily built from corrugated iron sheeting, a few blocks and some heavy-gauge fencewire. The Inclined Plane Incinerator is a more recent device, particularly useful for burning damp refuse. Three pieces of old corrugated sheeting, formed with a hammer and cold chisel and held together by fence-wire, are supported by blockwork or a metal frame at one end. The fire at the bottom (grate) end is funnelled up the covered damp refuse, which slides down as it dries out as fuel to burn replacement material.
Enclosed Grate Incinerator	(3) : Enclosed Grate Incinerator : This design is basically a box of brick or blockwork with
Enclosed Grate Incinerator with Chimney	(4) : Enclosed Grate Incinerator with Chimney : The Grate Incinerator is a more elaborate structure and can be made from bricks held together with a pug of mud. I will scan in an illustration for you.
Brazier Incinerator	The Brazier Incinerator is little more than a steel drum of some kind, possibly supported on bricks or with an internal grate. With its sides perforated to allow air in, it is a metal equivalent of the Honeycomb Incinerator. I enclose an illustration of this design and a Civil Defence design using an oil drum.
Yukon Stove	You may also like to consider the Yukon Stove - a waisted cylinder of mud and stone built on the surface with a gap in the base, or on the ground in dry areas and a hole scooped out underneath to put a fire-pit. This would need little or no metal as long as there is a good fire inside before refuse starts to be added. The 'neck' design encourages rapid burning and diffuses heat. I have done a 'pirate' copy of one from the SAS Survival Manual, a book Wiseman wrote in 1986. I gather he has produced revised versions of this book and recommend it as a useful purchase.
Links : To be obtained