Dust-O! Rubbish in Victorian London, 1860–1900

Author: Tanner, Andrea

Source: The London Journal, Volume 31, Number 2, November 2006 , pp. 157-178(22)

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Abstract:

London's refuse has long been the subject of archaeological, sociological and historical study. The cavalier attitude of its citizens to the disposal of their domestic and industrial detritus still makes fruitful copy for journalists and social commentators. What was the role of rubbish in metropolitan Victorian life? As London expanded in the early years of Victoria's reign, ancient methods of recycling still prevailed, and the foundations of many a respectable Victorian villa were literally the street sweepings and clinker from thousands of hearths. The new vestries and district boards of works were charged from 1855 with refuse disposal, and, at first, this responsibility was profitable for London's local government authorities. However, the combined influence of the public health body, to remove the sight and smell of rubbish from the streets, with progressive rising costs, induced the authorities to ever more expensive solutions. Contracts with commercial refuse removers gradually gave way to setting up dust-removal departments, and the creation of giant refuse destructors. It was an important but unglamorous responsibility; the single issue that raised the ire of the ratepayers, who demanded high levels of service, while displaying increasingly wasteful (and thus waste-producing) behaviour. Local Medical Officers of Health had been given responsibility for refuse matters at first, as rubbish equated with disease in the Victorian mind, and was considered primarily a matter of public health. Gradually (and gratefully), the Public Health Departments handed over the task to sanitary engineers. With the transfer of responsibility, substantial capital investment was made into plant and machinery, and refuse finally assumed its place in the monumental world of the metropolis.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174963206X113151

Publication date: 2006-11-01

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Dust-O! Rubbish in Victorian London, 1860–1900

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