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The Universal Salt bins

Salt bins also known as salt bins are a kind of street furniture that are usually used in places where freezing temperatures and snowfall are common. These hardy and sturdy receptacles hold a mixture of salt and grit that is spread over roadways and sidewalks once snow has covered them and rendered them unsafe.

Two things happen the moment the grit bins apply their mixture they are holding on the ground. First, low temperature that will lower the melting point of the snow is applied by the salt portion of the mixture, turning ice into liquid. This is made possible thanks to a chemical process which involves sodium chloride absorbing ambient heat and therefore allowing the sun to melt the ice. 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.

The use of grit bins are a better alternative than the common practice of shoveling snow or having snow trucks with salt spread clear the road from snow. Snow trucks, for one, are very expensive and requires high maintenance. On the other hand, Salt bins are easy on the budget and low maintenance as well. Driving can be very risky on snow covered roads as it often leads to the wheels spinning out of control and leading to accidents. 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.

The problem though is that these grit bins are only containers. The salt-grit mixture is supplied by the local councils 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.

The first grit bin designs were brittle and easily lost their effectivity because they are made of stone and concrete. This is the reason why the later designs of grit bins were made of polyurethane plastic. Like their predecessors, grit bins still suffered damage and destruction not because of the weather but because of vandals from people with nothing better to do. There are also problems about leaving the lid of this bin open which renders the mixture useless because of the sun and rain and tipping it over leading to the spilling of its contents carelessly on the floor.

As can be seen, Grit Bins perform a huge part to a community that is subjected to weather extremes. They keep us safe because they are the containers that hold the salt-grit mixture which make our sidewalks and roads less dangerous.