Questions for this week: How did ‘sanitary landfills’ develop? What are landfills primarily composed of? Why don’t things biodegrade much in landfills? What environmental risks do they pose? What waste challenges did Boston and other similar cities face in the early industrial era? How has waste (literally) shaped Boston?
Readings:
- Rathje, William L., and Cullen Murphy. Rubbish!: The Archaeology of Garbage. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. (Chapter 4 and 5; pages 81-132.)
- MassDEP – 2023 Solid Waste Data Update
- Mass Data Mapper – historical and current waste disposal methods and sites
- New York Times – Why a Landfill as Tall as the Statue of Liberty May Rise Even Higher
- Seasholes, Nancy S. Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2003, xviii-21.
- Clarke, Eliot C. Main Drainage Works of the City of Boston. 3rd ed. Boston: Rockwell and Churchill, 1888, 13-27.
- National Geographic – How Boston Made Itself Bigger
- Mapjunction – overlay of Boston historical maps
- Boston Water and Sewer Commission – Boston Sewer System overview
- Massachusetts Water Resources Authority – Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant