- 3000 BC - Knossos, the Cretan capital, builds landfill sites where waste is placed in large pits and covered with earth at various levels
- 1297 - A law is passed in Britain to make householders keep the front of their house clear from refuse - it is largely ignored
- 1354 - Rakers are employed in London to rake the rubbish together, load it into carts and remove it
- 1407 - In London household rubbish must remain indoors until rakers remove it - after which it is either sold or dumped in the Essex marshes
- 17-1800's - Industrial Revolution leads to increased production of waste
- 1875 - Public Health Act discourages scavenging of waste - rules that householders keep their waste in a "moveable receptacle"
- 1930 - Ministry of Health urges that "the dumping of crude refuse without taking adequate precautions should not be allowed to continue"
- 1950's - Mass manufacture of chemicals, plastics leads to problems of non-biodegradable waste
|