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The Omnipresent 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 containers hold salt and grit mixture and are applied on unsafe and snow covered sidewalks and roadways.

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 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. 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 is an easier and much better alternative than shoveling snow off the pathways or using bulldozers and snow trucks to clear the road. Besides from being expensive, snow trucks also require high maintenance as well. In contrast, Grit Bins are easy on the budget and low maintenance as well. With snow covered roads, driving can be quite treacherous as wheels may suddenly spin out of control leading to possible accidents. Passersby may also slip and get injured whenever they cross on snow covered sidewalks.

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 act of spreading the mixture on the roadways and sidewalks is another issue. The grit spreading service, for example, can be provided by the local council itself or they can also ask some of the people in the neighborhood to do their own share. This would mean that communities would need to provide shift assignments as to the shoveling and spreading of the salt-grit mixture in their communities.

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. 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. 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 Bin play a huge role in communities that often experience extreme weather conditions. Our sidewalks and roads are made less dangerous with their help since they are the ones that store the salt-grit mixture.