They would sell anything from dog feces (used to purify leather) to ash (added to mortar), for a buck. Toshers, Mudlarks, and Dustmen, were nicknames given to those in England who gave a new meaning to dirty work. Unfortunately, all the new production left used materials and created scavengers. Over 3.5 million tons was burnt in London in one year. The Industrial Revolution was the beginning of more materials, trade, and machinery.Ĭoal was one of the largest contributors to the revolution because it could produce more materials faster. Every new mind had a chance at saving its cities waste problems or making a quick buck. This age of new waste disposal ideas included everything from saving dog feces to developing mass burn plants.

Nobody saw garbage as a threat to way of life until population boomed. People would either burn their personal trash and bury it, or let it pile up. Most garbage is still burned outside in fires.Īround 1407 there is another law passed in Britain declaring waste must be stored inside until rakers remove it.ĭue to lack of new ideas and real motivation, there was not much to do with your waste during this time period. However the law is not taken too seriously. You can imagine trying to clean a filthy city, enduring tough physical labor, and trying to stay healthy while doing it.ġ388 - The English Parliament bans dumping of waste in ditches and public waterways.ġ551 - The first recorded use of packaging: German papermaker Andreas Bernhart begins placing his paper in wrappers labeled with his name and address.ġ657 - New Amsterdam (now Manhattan) passes a law against casting waste in the streets.ġ690 - Rittenhouse Mill, America’s first paper mill, opens in Philadelphia making paper from recycled cotton and linen as well as used paper.Īround 1350 Britain passed a law mandating a clean front yard. These men forged the way for the future of the garbage man. They called themselves “rakers,” and their job was simply to rake up the trash, into a cart, on a weekly basis. People were very uncivilized in Europe, war was common, and anything that could be re-used was not wasted.Īround this time Britain introduced their first garbage men, perhaps the first official garbage men in history. “The Black Plague,” killed 25 million people in just 5 years. The most dangerous disease to ever hit mankind broke out around 1350. Athens, Greece develops new law claiming garbage must be dumped at least one mile from the city. China develops methods of Composting/Recycling, and recycling bronze for later use.ĥ00 B.C.

Garbage is dumped and filled with dirt at various levels.Ģ000 B.C. The first landfill is developed when Knossos, Crete digs large holes for refuse. Earliest Garbage Regulation Effortsģ000 B.C. This brief history summarizes some facts and fiction that helped keep our planet clean. Our consumerism in the United States only gets larger every day. It was part of the package deal when we hit this planet. The most amazing thing about garbage collection is the fact that it was there in the beginning and it will be there in the end. Recycling began as a necessity and ended up in present day as a responsibility to the environment. Some cities became buried, and built over the waste, and others pioneered new ways to save their cities from vermin and disease. For many years people burned waste, fed it to animals, buried it, and most commonly, tossed it over their shoulder. As you can imagine, the world would be a disgusting place without the garbage man.

Garbage man