VereneSweatt675

From GunGame5 Documentation

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Current revision as of 04:49, 21 March 2012

The Omnipresent Grit Bins

Grit Bin also known as salt bins are street furniture that are commonly found in places where freezing temperatures and snowfall is common. These robust containers hold salt and grit mixture which is spread over snow covered roadways and sidewalks.

There are two things that happen once the mixture from the grit bins are spread on a snow covered ground. First, ice is turned into liquid with the help of the salt portion of the mixture which lowers the melting point of the snow. This involves a chemical process wherein sodium chloried heat so that the sunshine, no matter how intense or little can melt the ice and snow. Once the ice has melted, the second process will provide traction to the surface through the grit in the mixture. Pebbles, sand, and woodchips are usually the components used on grit and the ones which provide the traction to prevent the non slipping of tires and people travelling on the slippery roads.

This system is the better alternative as compared to shoveling the snow or having snow trucks with salt spreaders and bulldozers that clear paths on the road. Snow trucks, for one, are very expensive and requires high maintenance. In contrast, Grit Bins are very low cost and low maintenance items to manage. Accidents are very common when driving on snow covered roads with the wheels usually spinning out of control. Snow covered sidewalks, on the other hand, presents risks on passersby who have a huge possibility of slipping and suffering from injuries because of it.

Grit bins, however, are only the containers which hold the salt and grit mixture. The salt-grit mixture can only be supplied by the local councils to the people during their delivery runs. Another problem is the issue of the actual spreading of mixture in a certain neighborhood. It actually depends on the local councils if they will also be the one providing the grit spreading service of if they will ask some of the local townsfolk to help. The last option will require communities to shovel in spread the grit mixture in certain parts of their neighborhoods in shifting schedules.

The first grit bin designs were brittle and easily lost their effectivity because they are made of stone and concrete. As a result, the later designs were then built out of polyurethane plastic material. Much like their predecessors, these containers are still not prone to destruction and damage but not because of the weather but the people who vandalize them. This container also face maintenance issues such as leaving their lids opens and letting moisture and rainfall render the mixture useless and tipping it over and leaving the mixture carelessly spilled on the surroundings.

As can be seen, Grit Bin perform a huge part to a community that is subjected to weather extremes. Our sidewalks and roads are made less dangerous with their help since they are the ones that store the salt-grit mixture.