Solid waste management has changed dramatically through time. Until the twentieth century, solid waste was managed primarily for military reasons and the aesthetic pleasure of the wealthy. For example, ancient Athens and medieval Paris created laws to prevent the buildup of trash outside the city walls, because such a buildup could allow enemies to scale those walls. In the twentieth century, large-scale waste management was instituted in many industrialized countries for aesthetic and health... więcej

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2023. 3p.