Summary
Even the Ancient Greeks were not sure what to do with their trash, says expert Peggy Ayres. Schooled in the history of trash, Ayres says leaders in ancient Athens required all household garbage to be buried at least a mile from town. But, like today, finding good dump locations was always difficult.
Original source:
http://www2.townonline.com/hudson/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=176554
Details
"I don't like to throw anything away," Peggy Ayres told the members and guests attending the monthly meeting of the Marlborough Historical Society held at the Peter Rice Homestead.
It was Ayres first visit to a local organization in her new capacity as the recycling coordinator for the city of Marlborough and she was prepared to discuss historical aspects of the elimination of trash.
Creating a trash history timeline, Ayres said that in 400 BC the first municipal dump was established in ancient Athens and it was written into the law that the trash had to be taken at least one mile away from the city walls.
"Fabric was a scarce commodity," said Ayres, something people didn't want to waste.
In Colonial times, no little scrap of fabric, no matter how small was thrown away."
Although a lot of people think of recycling as returning plastic bottles or stacking up newspapers to be taken away, there are many other ways people are recycling.
"If you decide you don't want those old sneakers anymore," said Ayres, "those sneakers could become a field track someplace.
Citing the recycling that took place in World War I and World War II, Ayres said it became the patriotic thing to do - to save scrap metals, tires, newspapers and even to plant Victory Gardens.
The more trash we put out there the more we pay for it, she said.
"We pay a very small amount for recycling, and no matter how much recycling we put out there it's still the same price."
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, February 15, 2005
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