The Production Of Waste ( Tarr 15 )

An outburst in growth of America’s big city population, places of 100,000 people or more jumped from about 6 million to 14 million between 1880 and 1900, cities had become a world of newcomers (551). America evolved into a land of factories, corporate enterprise, and industrial worker and, the surge in immigration supplied their workers. In the latter half of the 19th century, continued industrialization and urbanization sparked an increasing demand for a larger and cheaper labor force. The country's transformation from a rural agricultural society into an urban industrial nation attracted immigrants worldwide. As free land and free labor disappeared and as capitalists dominated the economy, dramatic social, political, and economic

During the Industrial Revolution pollution was a major problem. For example, in Document 3 the image shows a factory near a river with smoke erupting out of

Another negative effect of the Industrial Revolution was the poor sanitary conditions in cities. When Friedrich Engels visited an English industrial city he stated in “The Conditions of the Working Class in England” that the streets are usually unpaved, full of holes, filthy and strewn with refuse due to the lack of gutters or drains. This caused the main river of Manchester to look coal black and be packed with stinking filth. The factories also led to pollution and poor air quality due to the open air vents and chimneys which released the pollution from the factory into the air. Many people who lived in these poor cities or slums were either the working class or the poor that had to struggle through these unsanitary conditions.

The United States of America is at the top of the list when it comes to the countries that use the most resources. In The Waste Generation by Bill Bryson, he talks about the amount of natural resources wasted by Americans. Bryson gets much of the information he uses in his essay from his personal experience. He lived in England for 20 years as a journalist and during his stay, he noticed many differences between the lifestyle of people living in England and the people in America. Most of the people that live in the U.S. are very wasteful compared to people living in other countries and even though some of the people realize that they are being wasteful themselves, they don’t change their habits. This is a very big problem in the U.S. because many resources are wasted such as electricity, water, gas, oil, and more. Compared to other countries, each person in the U.S. uses resources several times more than people in other countries depending on which country but some people may argue that the U.S. is covering up for wasting resources by making more resources, which is fine except for the fact that resources are still being wasted.

It is hard to imagine in the twenty first century the level of filth that was experienced in the 1830’s on a daily basis. Sanitation, public health and sewer systems were problems that gripped the nation throughout the ninetieth century (1830-1860s), encouraging popular debate and proposal of changes. The growth of population and increase in the industry

Americans, as a whole, do not care about the environment anymore. When we watch the news or simply talk about our day, there are always more pressing topics that come up. However, as a nation, the threat of a failing environment seems to be forgotten because the effects are not as obvious as other threats. Bill McKibben’s “Waste Not, Want Not” discusses how much time, money, resources, and people America has actually wasted and how little effort has been made to try to change. McKibben causes readers to think it is too late to save the environment from our wastefulness because we put our efforts into systems that do not help the environment, spend more money and resources than necessary, and refuse to acknowledge how much were wasting.

Not only does it provide a source of water to 600,000 people, it has acted as a means of travel, hydropower and a source of food (Merrimack River Watershed Council, 2014). It goes without saying that alongside the cultural developments that have grown with the Merrimack River, there have also been many environmental issues as a result of misuse and poor city planning. While some of these problems have improved greatly since the 1900s, there are still improvements that need to be made. One of the most prominent issues that currently affect the quality of the Merrimack River is sewage waste. Although the Clean Water Act of 1972 has set standards in place for sewage disposal, progress has not been immediate. For example, Manchester, New Hampshire, one of the many cities that reside along the Merrimack River, did not stop dumping raw sewage into the river until 1992 (U.S. Department of the Interior,

The cities consist of immigrant who are writers, artist, and reformers. The United State was peaceful, progressing and growing in the 19th century, the establishment of industry and wages influenced people to migrate to the United State. Migration added values to the people and also caused a lot of problems to some people, over 14 million immigrants came into the United State from east and southern European countries such as Poland, Russia and Italy coming from different ethnicity this new immigrant had challenges adjusting to the new society, the immigrant settled in the cities where factories are located because of job opportunities, this resulted in overpopulation in those industrial cities. According to Eric Foner (2008). Many of the European immigrant moved to the United State from Ellis Island located in the New York (pp. 643). Towards the late 19th century, in the west natural resources were over used, some used the natural resources for private gain, this was what brought the idea that that the government should be in charge to instill order and accountability. In other words, “a tradition of waste” was established by America.

Water supply and sanitation have been a crucial issue since the birth of civilization. Over the years and throughout civilization, many large cities have been plagued with the requirement of water. The absence of clean water and proper sanitation ultimately leads to the downfall of society. It causes people to get diseases, suffer from dehydration, live in filthy environments, and can even lead to death. Water was very scarce for a long time in NYC, and the harsh impacts of this can be seen throughout history. During the 17th century, it was not safe for people to drink water because it was too filthy and contaminated. Fermented drinks, like alcohol or beer were common.

In 1854 the city London was the most populated in the world. In just ninety square miles there was over two million currently living there. During this time period having so many people in such a tight place was unknown. With the constant population growth it caused a number of problems. The main problem that was faced was the mass amount of waste and where to put it. Families used water closets, but even with the water closets their waste was emptied into cesspools. It wasn’t uncommon for these cesspools to over fill often, even with night- soil men continuously emptying them. The streets of London were fifthly. With the constant mass amounts of waste the London government came to a decision to dump of the

Throughout the mid-19th century, many cities across America were becoming industrialized and growing in size. As a city develops and grows, the city uses resources such as food, water, raw products, and energy. All these resources are consumed within a city. The outcome of all this consumption is the production of waste (Tarr 15). In the mid-19th century, a massive migration of Americans and wave of migrants from different countries in Europe and other parts of the world begin to settle in urban settings across America. Many were seeking better job opportunities and better lives in American cities. As a result, industrial cities grew dramatically and became

“Water Pollution.” Social Issues in America: An Encyclopedia, edited by James Ciment, Sharpe Reference, Armonk, NY, 2013, pp. 2274–2295. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=unio34164&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE|CX7037300168&asid=03c543b83f0057f223dceb520e8db1b2. Accessed 2017.

It standing commercial industries of the early 1900s was no more evidence than the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Unfortunately for those living in the Pittsburgh region they were living near, consuming, and/or bathing and what was classified the most polluted waters in the nation if not the entire world at that time. Was interesting to learn is that researchers during this time. Were not always looking out for the best interests of the residents in the areas but looking to protect and help commercial interests instead. This was evident by the

Modern sewage formed in response to the 1858 Great Stink of London. The Great Stink was a product of many factors. The introduction of flush toilets replacing previously popular chamber pots increased water and waste volume into cesspits. Additionally, these cesspits, once only used for excess rainwater collection, began to carry waste from slaughterhouses and factories, contaminating the city before its ultimate departure into the River Thames, which began to overflow with sewage along with its tributaries. All of this combined with an unusually hot summer encouraged bacterial growth, a rancid odor, and contributed to a cholera outbreak. In response, London build thousands of miles of underground pipe and created the modern sewage treatment system [2].

Waste Management, Inc., incorporated in 1968, had become a leader in the industry of waste management services ranging from industrial operations to curbside collection. This company had become synonymous with many different kinds of disposal services that allowed for the company to grow and grow with a solid base over the course of twenty-eight years. Finally in 1996, the company reported total assets of almost $20 billion with net income close to $200 million. However, even with this growth and solid base, the company was feeling competitive pressures and net income was on the decline.