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The Ubiquitous Grit Bin

Grit Bins or salt bins are a type of street furniture that is often found in countries where snowfall and freezing temperatures are prevalent. 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 a chemical process where the sodium chloride absorbs ambient heat allowing the sunshine, no matter how little, to 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. 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, 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. When sidewalks are covered with snow, passersby have a huge chance of slipping and have injuries because of the slippery walkways.

The problem though is that these grit bins are only containers. The salt-grit mixture can only be supplied by the local councils to the people during their delivery runs. The next problem is the issue about the spreading of mixture on the roadways and sidewalks. The local council can do the grit spreading service on their own or they can also request 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.

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. This is the reason why the later designs of grit bins were made of polyurethane plastic. 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. 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.

These information prove that Grit Bins have huge role in places that experience extreme weather conditions. They are containers that store the salt-grit mixture which keep our roads and sidewalks safe.