1921 - The British Waste Paper Association is established (initially as the Association of London Waste Paper Merchants) to help develop the trade in waste paper for recycling.
1930 - The Ministry of Health urges that "the system of dumping crude refuse without taking adequate precautions should not be allowed to continue". Similar complaints about unsanitary landfill were to continue for several decades.
1930s - The manufacture of plastics from chemicals produced from petroleum begins (plastic products had been made from plants since 1862). The production and manufacture of plastics grows slowly over the next 20 years. In the economic boom of the 1950s production begins increasing sharply due to increases in different types and applications for plastics. While the development of plastics and other forms of packaging has reduced the amount of food wastage, the environmental consequences of increasing amounts of non-biodegradable plastic packaging and toxic inks is largely overlooked.
In the 1930s, most people live in houses where heating and hot water are provided by burning newspaper and coal in fires, hence the small quantities of paper and large quantities of dust in the bins. The small percentages of textiles, glass, and metals are also the result of recovery and reuse schemes.
1936 - The Public Health Act 1936 rules that the accumulation of waste which is prejudicial to health, or a nuisance, is a Statutory Nuisance. Authorities are given the power to prosecute over uncontrolled dumping, cesspools and scavenging - a practice which often resulted in the scattering of refuse. The Act also prohibits building upon contaminated land and lays down regulation for the management of landfill sites, but these were mostly overlooked in the years that followed. During the world wars waste regulation becomes less of a priority. Despite a rise in reclamation and recycling during the wars, the post-war years face the legacy of huge unsanitary and uncontrolled refuse tips especially surrounding the larger cities. Although local councils make efforts to legislate against the dumping of refuse, appalling situations develop throughout the country where vast tips up to a mile long burn continuously.
1947 - The Town and Country Planning Act gives authorities planning powers over new waste management sites, but most of the existing tips cannot be controlled. During the post-war years, economics are against incineration, hence the domination of landfill in British waste disposal practice. Landfills are constructed at the most convenient cost and locations, with little thought of their environmental impact or consequences such as water pollution and methane gas. Contemporary consumer society evolves with the increase in production and consumption, as products are designed to be thrown away and packaging increases. Increased consumption inevitably generates an increase in manufacturing, industry, mining and quarrying, agricultural and food processing wastes. However, the post-war period sees not only some effects from the boosted salvage industry stimulated by the demand for raw materials during the wars, but also increasing public awareness of the environment.
1956 - The Clean Air Act is passed signaling a decrease in the number of open fires in homes as they are replaced by central heating fuelled by oil, gas or electricity. Consequently the composition of household waste changes from being predominantly ash, dust and cinder from fires, to being made up of other wastes such as food and paper which would previously have been put on the fire.
1960 - A working party set up by the Duke of Edinburgh criticizes the existing management of the countryside and the environment, especially waste management. Its recommendations lead to the setting up of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.
1960s - Private waste contractors begin to take over in what had previously been considered a public works activity. In 1968, contractors come together to form the National Association of Waste Disposal Contractors.
1970s - It takes a combination of increased new chemical waste, changing waste compositions after clean air legislation, and new health and safety guidelines to bring about the first serious waste regulations during the 1970s. This is also linked to concerns over energy use and the wider depletion of resources.
1971 - Some drums of cyanide waste are dumped at an abandoned brick kiln near Nuneaton, leading to a huge public outcry. The ensuing furore, along with press coverage of waste disposal drivers taking bribes to dump hazardous waste illegally, and a report by the Royal Commission on toxic wastes, provides a catalyst for the first ever legislation to control hazardous waste. The consequent Deposit of Poisonous Waste Act 1972 is drafted in 10 days and passed through Parliament within a month.
Section I: Introduction (YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THIS SECTION)
Section II: Present
Section III: Future
Complete Table of Contents
Reference