Recycling Timeline

Here you will find a list of important dates and events in the history of recycling and garbage management. Click on any of the links in blue for more information.

10,000 BC Garbage becomes an issue as people first begin to establish permanent settlements.

400 BC The first municipal dump is established in ancient Athens.

105 AD Paper is invented in China by Ts'ai Lun.
(To learn more, including paper history, click here and then choose the "Learn About Paper" link at the top of the screen.)

200 The first sanataion force is created by the Romans. Teams of two men walk along the streets, pick up garbage, and throw it into a wagon.

1388 The English Parliament bans dumping of waste in ditches and public waterways.

1551 The first recorded use of packaging: German papermaker Andreas Bernhart begins placing his paper in wrappers labeled with his name and address.

1690 The Rittenhouse family establishes the first paper recycling mill on the banks of Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia.

1776 The first metal recycling in America occurs when patriots in New York City melt down a statue of King George III and make it into bullets.

1810 The tin can is patented in London by Peter Durand.

1869 The first commercial plastic, called celluloid, was developed by an entreprenurial maker of dental plates and novelty items. He had answered an ad placed by a supplier of billiards equipment offering a reward for developing a suitable replacement material for elephant ivory to make billiard balls.

1874 The organized incineration of collected trash begins in Nottingham, England.

1885 The first garbage incinerator in the US is built on Governers Island in New York Harbor.

1897 The first recycling center is established in New York City.

1904 Large-scale aluminum recycling begins in Chicago and Cleveland.

1912 Cellophane (clear plastic) is invented by Swiss chemist Doctor Jacques Brandenberger, which encourages the use of plastic packaging.

1935 The first beer can is produced by Kreuger's Cream Ale in Richmond, VA. Over the next six months, company sales increased 550% because customers loved the convenience.

1943 The aerosol can is invented by two researchers at the US Department of Agriculture.

1944 Styrfoam is invented by Dow Chemical Co.

1948 Fresh Kills landfill is opened in Staten Island, New York. It later becomes the world's largest city dump. Fresh Kills and the Great Wall of China are the only man-made objects visible from space.

1965 The Federal government realizes that garbage has become a major problem and enacts the Solid Waste Disposal Act. This calls for the nation to find better ways of dealing with trash.

1968 The US aluminum industry begins recycling discarded aluminum products, from beverage cans to window blinds.

1970 On April 22, the first Earth Day introducing the concept of recycling to the general public.

1970 The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is established.

1971 Oregon is the first state to use bottle deposits--5¢ per beverage container.
*THIS INFORMATION IS UNDER DEBATE--SEE BELOW

1972 The first buy-back centers for recyclables are opened in Washington State. They accept beer bottles, aluminum cans, and newspapers.

1974 The first city-wide use of curbside recycling bins occurs in University City, Missouri, for collecting newspapers.

1976 Three people from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, get a patent on a method for purefying and reusing lubricating oils.

1976 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is passed, which requires all dumps to be replaced with "sanitary landfills." The enforcement of this act will increase the cost of landfill disposal, and that will make resource-conserving options like recycling more appealing.

1986 The city of San Francisco meets its goal of recycling 25% of its commercial and residential waste.

1986 Rhode Island becomes the first state to pass mandatory recycling laws for aluminum and steel cans, glass, newspapers, and #1 and #2 plastic.

1988 The Plastic Bottle Institute develops a material-identification code system for plastic bottle manufacturers. (This is our current #1-6 system.)

1990 McDonald's announces plans to stop the use of styrofoam packaging of its food due to consumer protests.

1990 On December 4, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi announced that they will begin using a recycled PET (#1 plastic) bottle made of about 25% recycled plastic resin.

* In April 2000 we received an e-mail from a site visitor: "I was picking up pop and beer bottles along the highways of southeast Indiana in 1968 and the bottles had a 2¢ deposit on them before that." Another source gives the date of the first "bottle law" was enacted in Oregon in 1972. If you can help clarify this debate, e-mail Ramola15@aol.com.

Return to Recycling Rules!! main page

10,000 BC	Garbage becomes an issue as people first begin to establish permanent settlements.
400 BC	The first municipal dump is established in ancient Athens.
105 AD	Paper is invented in China by Ts'ai Lun. (To learn more, including paper history, click here and then choose the "Learn About Paper" link at the top of the screen.)
200	The first sanataion force is created by the Romans. Teams of two men walk along the streets, pick up garbage, and throw it into a wagon.
1388	The English Parliament bans dumping of waste in ditches and public waterways.
1551	The first recorded use of packaging: German papermaker Andreas Bernhart begins placing his paper in wrappers labeled with his name and address.
1690	The Rittenhouse family establishes the first paper recycling mill on the banks of Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia.
1776	The first metal recycling in America occurs when patriots in New York City melt down a statue of King George III and make it into bullets.
1810	The tin can is patented in London by Peter Durand.
1869	The first commercial plastic, called celluloid, was developed by an entreprenurial maker of dental plates and novelty items. He had answered an ad placed by a supplier of billiards equipment offering a reward for developing a suitable replacement material for elephant ivory to make billiard balls.
1874	The organized incineration of collected trash begins in Nottingham, England.
1885	The first garbage incinerator in the US is built on Governers Island in New York Harbor.
1897	The first recycling center is established in New York City.
1904	Large-scale aluminum recycling begins in Chicago and Cleveland.
1912	Cellophane (clear plastic) is invented by Swiss chemist Doctor Jacques Brandenberger, which encourages the use of plastic packaging.
1935	The first beer can is produced by Kreuger's Cream Ale in Richmond, VA. Over the next six months, company sales increased 550% because customers loved the convenience.
1943	The aerosol can is invented by two researchers at the US Department of Agriculture.
1944	Styrfoam is invented by Dow Chemical Co.
1948	Fresh Kills landfill is opened in Staten Island, New York. It later becomes the world's largest city dump. Fresh Kills and the Great Wall of China are the only man-made objects visible from space.
1965	The Federal government realizes that garbage has become a major problem and enacts the Solid Waste Disposal Act. This calls for the nation to find better ways of dealing with trash.
1968	The US aluminum industry begins recycling discarded aluminum products, from beverage cans to window blinds.
1970	On April 22, the first Earth Day introducing the concept of recycling to the general public.
1970	The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is established.
1971	Oregon is the first state to use bottle deposits--5¢ per beverage container. *THIS INFORMATION IS UNDER DEBATE--SEE BELOW
1972	The first buy-back centers for recyclables are opened in Washington State. They accept beer bottles, aluminum cans, and newspapers.
1974	The first city-wide use of curbside recycling bins occurs in University City, Missouri, for collecting newspapers.
1976	Three people from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, get a patent on a method for purefying and reusing lubricating oils.
1976	The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is passed, which requires all dumps to be replaced with "sanitary landfills." The enforcement of this act will increase the cost of landfill disposal, and that will make resource-conserving options like recycling more appealing.
1986	The city of San Francisco meets its goal of recycling 25% of its commercial and residential waste.
1986	Rhode Island becomes the first state to pass mandatory recycling laws for aluminum and steel cans, glass, newspapers, and #1 and #2 plastic.
1988	The Plastic Bottle Institute develops a material-identification code system for plastic bottle manufacturers. (This is our current #1-6 system.)
1990	McDonald's announces plans to stop the use of styrofoam packaging of its food due to consumer protests.
1990	On December 4, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi announced that they will begin using a recycled PET (#1 plastic) bottle made of about 25% recycled plastic resin.