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The Ever-present Grit Bins

Grit Bins 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.

Two things happen when the grit bins spread the mixture on the snow covered pavement. First, the salt part of the mixture lowers the melting point of the snow, allowing for lower temperatures to turn the snow and ice into liquid. This mixture allows the sunshine to melt the ice and snow no matter how faint or intense it is thanks to a chemical process which involves sodium chloride to absorb ambient heat from the sun. The second action is physical change, where the grit provides traction because of the wet and icy result of the chemical change. Grit often is a mixture of woodchips, sand, and pebbles to provide tires and under soles the traction to prevent slipping during the travel over the road and the sidewalks.

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 are not only expensive but high maintenance as well. In contrast, Salt bins are easy on the budget and low maintenance as well. When driving on snow covered roads, there is a high risk of the wheels spinning out of control which then leads to accidents. Moreover, snow covered sidewalks are also very dangerous to passersby who may suffer from injuries caused by slipping.

The downside of grit bins is that there are merely containers of the mixture. As for the salt-grit mixture, it is the responsibility of the local council to supply it during their delivery runs. The next problem is the issue about the spreading of mixture on the roadways and sidewalks. 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 latter option requires communities to work in rotation when it comes to spreading and shoveling grit mixture in their neighborhood.

Concrete and stone were the first materials used for grit bins but they proved ineffective because they became easily brittle and lost their effectivity in a short period of time. Because of this problem, it was decided that polyurethane plastic should be used as the material instead. These grit bins still suffered from damage and destruction but it is because of the people vandalizing them and not due to weather causes. 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.

From these, it can be seen Grit Bins perform a huge role in the community that often suffer from extreme weather. They keep salt-grit mixture that is essential to keep roads and sidewalks safe.