Every human activity is accompanied by the generation of waste. Humans intuitively decided what became waste, what could be done with it, and organized their lives in such a way that they designated specific spaces for certain functions to keep their surroundings orderly – for example, shelter, cultivation, burial of the dead, and others. One of these spaces was specifically allocated for waste. The cradle of the first organized landfills in history was Crete. In Minoan culture, trash was thrown into holes dug in the ground, and subsequent layers were covered with layers of soil. In ancient cities, trash was also thrown into trenches left over from wars or into dried-up wells. The Greeks and Romans possessed a surprisingly effective system for cleaning cities of trash. Issues of maximizing waste utilization were likely treated intuitively at first, and later – consciously and often – as a business. An example of this is the taxation of public latrines in ancient Rome by Emperor Vespasian. Urine from them was drained directly to tanneries located on the outskirts due to the odor accompanying the leather tanning process. Meanwhile, the Japanese were the first in history to engage in recycling as early as the 10th century, collecting waste paper and reprocessing used paper.
Dealing with waste did not pose a major problem at the time, as long as the waste did not threaten people. In medieval European cities, people had cramped rooms at their disposal, which they often shared with livestock. Both animal waste and human excrement landed mostly in street gutters until the 13th century. City defensive walls effectively limited living space, also restricting waste storage possibilities and worsening sanitary conditions. The obvious consequence of this method of waste storage was the outbreak of epidemics, which claimed millions of human lives.
The effects of unorganized waste disposal became the reason for the creation of special sanitary units in many Western European cities, responsible for transporting trash to safe distances. Streets and wells were cleaned, and the first bans on throwing waste into gutters, wells, or streams appeared, as well as restrictions related to keeping livestock within city limits. Legal regulations are intended to standardize behavior and are usually applied when a part of the community does not follow established rules. People living at that time were reluctant to follow new rules regarding waste management. In the 16th century, trash bins appeared in Paris and Amsterdam. In Berlin, an order was issued to keep public places clean. In 1852, the first flush toilets appeared in the German capital, and at the end of the 18th century, municipal landfills were created for the first time. At that time, services were organized in Paris to regularly remove trash, and waste pits were disinfected with chlorine. In 1865, the paramilitary charity organization “The Salvation Army” was founded, which still operates today and initially dealt with the collection and processing of trash. For this purpose, the organization employed the urban poor, who could thus earn a living. Until then, waste formed a single group and contained both elements that we find today in the municipal waste group, as well as those belonging to the industrial group – for example, remnants of craftsmen’s manufacturing processes. The morphology of the waste favored natural decomposition processes, so they did not pose a particular threat to the natural environment, but were more dangerous to human life and health. At the end of the 19th century, the processes of advancing urbanization and industrialization were accompanied by a rapid increase in the amount of trash and industrial waste (distinguished for the first time among all waste generated by humans). At the same time, the connection between hygiene and human health was realized. Municipal authorities therefore considered the issue of reducing the volume and proper deposition of waste as one of the priority political issues. In 1874, the first incinerators were built in the city of Nottingham, and a special steam engine powered partly by utilization furnaces was even constructed. Burning trash reduced its volume by about 70 – 90%, depending on its composition, which gained popularity worldwide. After a break caused by the First World War, another wave of building incinerators and establishing large landfills began. However, these institutions still did not take into account the damage they caused to the natural environment. This method of waste disposal in many cities caused a deterioration in air quality and soil contamination. In the 1980s, discussions began on changes in the natural environment occurring on a global scale. Terms such as “global warming,” “ozone hole,” “greenhouse effect,” or others are perfectly recognized as being associated with important, adverse changes in the human natural environment. Only at the end of the 20th century did the concept of eco-development and sustainable development appear as a response to the widespread environmental threat. The approach to environmental issues, in accordance with the principles of eco-development, consists of maintaining the natural capital of nature. Such development, which is characterized by balance, durability, and self-sustainability, meets the features of the sustainable development concept, presented in the Brundtland Commission report, and commonly presented in Poland under the name of sustainable development. Intensive work on disseminating this concept has caused virtually all countries in the world to begin implementing appropriate environmental programs. New production technologies are being developed that minimize the negative impact of these processes on the environment. In the 21st century, a specific trend for “balancing” various areas of human activity has emerged. At the same time, attempts to export waste (especially hazardous ones) outside the borders of one’s own country, moving environmentally burdensome production to “ecological havens,” or illegal dumping of such substances (for example, on the bottom of seas and oceans) are widely condemned.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2009.