Great Moments in the History of Trash
Internet Exploration Learning Name ______________________ Per. ____
Internet information source:
http://www.ecomaine.org/PDF/history%20of%20trash.pdf
“THE ART OF THE PEDDLER”
1- Why was there no concept of “trash” in the United States during the 1800’s?
2- What roll did “peddlers” play in this pre-trash period?
3- Who were the “swill children”?
“TRASH: THE EARLY DAYS”
4- In the American Industrial Revolution, and directly after that period, cities and our county’s middle-class grew at a rapid rate. What did the concept of “hygiene” have to due particularly with this period?
“MY TRASH / YOUR TREASURE”
5- During the first few decades of the 1900’s a new type of store/industry was born due to greater consumption by the middle and upper classes of American society. Explain…
6- During the Depression citizens who had money were encouraged to spend it freely. Why?
7- Explain the differences between “stylistic obsolescence” and “functional obsolescence”
8- During World War II the government encouraged, sometimes even with actual laws, a consumption policy the exact opposite of what it had supported during the Depression. Give three examples from this section.
“RAMPANT CONSUMERISM TO EARLY RECYCLING”
9- How were the values of the 1960’s counter-culture (the Hippy crowd) different from that of main stream society? (first three paragraphs of this section).
“TRASH BECOMES BIG BUSINESS”
10-How had trash collection fundamentally changed by the 1980’s?
(paragraph one of this section)
“THE REGIONAL AND THE PERSONAL”
11-Sorting trash for recycling used to be an act people did personally for money. What is the new reason?