In the earlier days of human history our solid waste was not always managed properly. To learn how our waste management was handled in ancient historical times and the advances that led us to our current waste management procedures, we would like to give you the history of solid waste management in three parts.
Pre-Industrial Times
In earlier human history, solid waste was made up of ash, wood, bones, bodies and vegetable waste. During this period waste was disposed of in the ground where it acted like a compost and helped improve the soil. Archaeological digs confirmed that everything was repaired and reused resulting in minimal waste. Tiny amounts of ash, broken tools, and pottery were the type of waste found in ancient rubbish dumps when excavated.
Archaeological excavations also confirmed that bits of garbage which fell on the floor were walked on by the household residents. This is referred to as the fringe effect where the trash was brushed into corners or along the edge of walls. Instead of cleaning the trash from their floors, they would cover it with fresh, clean clay which resulted in cities having higher elevations. An example of this is the city of Troy where debris accumulation resulted in the cities elevation increasing 5 feet per century.
When populations started to grow there was less space to dispose of waste. This led to development of necessary waste disposal systems. Ancient civilizations that created waste procedures in ancient history were found in Crete, Athens and Rome.
Middle Ages
It was during the Middle Ages when people began to realize that garbage and waste were a threat to human life. People would burn their trash, bury it or let it pile up. As the waste began to accumulate in urban settings, the garbage resulted in a horrid stench and a growing population of rats which then contaminated water supplies and strengthened human diseases. These conditions caused some of the greatest plagues to impact humanity. It was during this period that the earliest organized waste management techniques were developed.
In the 1340s, the Black Plague which spread to Western Europe and North Africa was responsible for the deaths of approximately 75,000,000 people worldwide. The Black Plague was also referred to as the Black Death and is believed to have killed 30 to 60 percent of Europe’s population. Although the black plague subsided some it still impacted Europe up until the 16th century. The Bubonic Plague was another disease which resulted from the filthy conditions of the Middle Ages.
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Source: www.environmentalistseveryday.org
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