My job is to clean train stations which involves the tedious task of picking up litter using a broom and scoop bag. having had to do this work made me realize that it would be so much easier to clean litter if it was destroyed rather than collected . this would mean less work not only for those responsible for collecting litter but also for those who collect garbage. The easiest and most efficient way to destroy litter that I can think of is to burn it with a small flamethrower. the flamethrower will destroy cigarette butts, newspapers, candy wrappers, coffee cups and any paper found on the ground. The flamethrower could also be used to destroy wasps nests and doggie poop
-- gm150, Aug 06 2002

Mini burners are routinely used in NYC to remove gum from the sidewalk. So I guess this is not completely outside the bounds of possibility.
-- DrCurry, Aug 07 2002


Is it only the underground/subway that is especially watchful for fire hazards? I also question the environmental downside of uncontrolled burning of litter. A battery-driven vacuum cleaner on your shoulders or hip?
-- FarmerJohn, Aug 07 2002


//The flamethrower could also be used to destroy wasps nests and doggie poop //

Wasp's nests, yes. But don't be tempted to turn a flamethrower on doggie poop, especially in a confined space (unless you have no sense of smell, are wearing a gas mask, and have a clothespeg on your nose).

This is a mistake I made when de-weeding my garden once and it is something I am not anxious to repeat.

There is a mini garden flamethrower available in the UK that runs of a small can of butane so the enabling technology exists. You'd still have to sweep up the ash, though ..... what about the scorch marks on the floor ?

But it involves burning stuff, so I will give it a croissant for encouraging pyromania.
-- 8th of 7, Aug 07 2002


It would probably be a really inefficient burn and so enviromentally a Bad Thing, and could take forever to clear the litter. You probably wouldn't want to use it in countries with driy climates, for fear of burning down the countryside. Perhaps the best way to keep stations clean (in England anyway) is to supply bins, something they don't do at the moment.
-- namaste, Aug 07 2002


There's no bins in the London stations because they are prime targets for bombs. However, I did see a documentary some weeks ago that detailed a bin made of some kind of composite material that absorbs bomb blasts.

[gm150] have you ever melted polystyrene? It just makes a sticky black mess.
-- Mayfly, Aug 07 2002



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