A grit bin made from fibreglass.

A grit bin or salt bin is an item of street furniture, commonly found in countries where freezing temperatures and snowfall occur , that holds a mixture of salt and grit that is spread over roads if they have snow or ice on them. A grit bin improves winter road safety on roads which are not gritted by other means, such as from a gritting lorry. A grit bin by the side of the road File links The following pages link to this file: Grit bin ... A grit bin by the side of the road File links The following pages link to this file: Grit bin ... There is a disputed proposal to merge this article with glass-reinforced plastic. ... Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including benches, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, street lighting, traffic lights, traffic signs, bus stops, grit bins, tram stops, taxi stands, public lavatories, fountains and memorials, and waste receptacles. ... A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) Salt covering the floor of Bad Water in Death Valley, CA, the lowest point in the US. A salt, in chemistry, is any ionic compound composed of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is neutral... Look up grit, GRIT, grits, GRITS in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Animation of snowcover changing with the seasons. ... Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ... The field of road safety is concerned with reducing the numbers or the consequences of vehicle crashes, by developing and implementing management systems ideally based in a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, with interrelated activities in a number of fields. ... Lorry Look up Lorry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Can mean: A truck, in the sense of a commercial large goods vehicle. ...

How it works

Anyone may use a grit bin. Typically, a spade or shovel is used to spread a thin layer of grit onto the road surface, covering any snow or ice. The salt component of the grit lowers the melting point of the snow causing it to melt (see sodium chloride). The grit component improves the friction between a vehicle's tires and the road. Rusty spade small spade for clay soil; the other one for sandy soil and loamy soil A spade is a tool fit for digging, or something resembling that. ... Shovel with wide blade - especially appropriate for lifting snow or coal A shovel is a tool for lifting and moving loose material such as coal, gravel, snow, soil, or sand. ... The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ... This articles section called Other facts does not cite its references or sources. ... A tire or tyre (see spelling differences and etymological origins) is a device covering the circumference of a wheel. ...

Some grit bins have a small compartment, which could be used for storing a spade or shovel. The one featured in the photograph at the top of the page is filled through the top hatch.

Construction of grit bins

A prefab concrete bin that has been replaced by a plastic one

Grit bins were originally made of concrete, wood or even stone, though these are now increasingly being replaced by models constructed from plastic. However, the lower weight of plastic makes grit bins easier to steal or tip over. Image File history File links Plastic-GRIT-BIN-in-concrete-GRIT-BIN.JPG‎ I took this picture on the road between Pontypool and Pantygaseg File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Plastic-GRIT-BIN-in-concrete-GRIT-BIN.JPG‎ I took this picture on the road between Pontypool and Pantygaseg File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

Problems

A grit bin that has been vandalised.

Grit bins are often subjected to vandalism, often being subjected to arson. A grit bin's lid is often left open, leaving rain to wash away the salt in the mixture, rendering it useless. In the United Kingdom, the local county council is usually responsible for maintaining and refilling grit bins. A grit bin that has been vandalised File links The following pages link to this file: Grit bin ... A grit bin that has been vandalised File links The following pages link to this file: Grit bin ... A caricature of Gustave Courbet taking down a Morris column, published by Le Père Duchêne illustré magazine Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement destruction of a structure or symbol against the will of the owner/governing body. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... For the singer, see Rain (singer). ... In the British Isles, a county council is a council that governs a county. ...

Members of the public can inform their local council if a grit bin needs refilling, has been damaged or tipped over, or if there are no bins on a road that is not gritted by any other method.