The history of waste management is a story of urban modernization as people moved to cities, and the industrial revolution that attracted them, as businesses and amenities made waste removal infrastructure necessary for environmental and sanitation reasons.
It wasn’t until sanitation became so bad in UK urban areas, that a cholera outbreak led to a greater understanding of the need for waste management. The first outbreak in London 1832, was initially thought have been spread by a bad smell, but it wasn’t until the mid-19th century when Dr. John Snow hypothesized that the disease was water-borne. This not only led to a better understanding of the disease but also brought about London’s subterranean sewage system.
The modern history of waste management can be traced back to the 1875 Public Health Act, which brought into law modern refuse collection – and demanded that household waste be put into transportable form.
Since then, waste has been tackled in many ways. In the 1920’s, the first incinerator was produced and first used in Nottingham. While successful in reducing waste, the incinerator’s by-product was clouds of pollution over the city, and this method ultimately faced strong opposition.
Landfill sites are still used to this day, and remain the most effective means of waste removal and management for a growing population with increasing consumption habits – but focus is now turning to reducing these waste mountains.
However, waste management techniques have continued to evolve as the environment, and the issue of pollution gaining in increasing importance, and also the needs of business to safely dispose of waste.
Recycling has become essential to reduce costs and to re-use expensive or finite resources, as issues of our effect on the planet becoming a pressing issue. Plastics account for 10% by weight and 26% by volume of all recycling in the UK; glass can be recycled indefinitely and is 100% recyclable. Metals, on the other hand, are much more difficult to recycle and can lead to further pollution and pollutants reaching water supplies and soil. Paper recycling is essential to minimize deforestation – and the bulk of this comes through commercial use – but the switch to a paperless society and working methods, mean that businesses are reducing the need for this type of recycling.
The ideal in waste management is the concept of ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ in which all waste can be broken down into its basic constituents and recycled effectively.
Aside from the tangible economic benefits to businesses and firms, it is necessary for a world in which ‘carbon neutral’ objectives are becoming an imperative and a reality. The commitment for business to implement a zero waste to landfill strategy requires planning and commitment, but with these measures in place it could lead to organizations finding that they can reduce their outlay through the supply chain.
