The Colonel Who Cleaned Up New York

摘要

People from Ontario like to brag that they invented curbside recycling, and they're right-the first blue-box collection program was introduced in Kitchener back in 1981. The first curbside collection of household recyclables, however, was introduced in New York City more than a hundred years ago-following the infamous days of Tammany Hall, perhaps the most blatantly corrupt administration ever to run New York. By 1894, city services had degraded to the point that the citizens revolted, and the Tammany leaders were tossed out of office. The new reformist mayor, William Strong, had a tough agenda to clean up New York, both figuratively and literally. He wisely chose Colonel George E. Waring Jr. for the latter task, appointing him Commissioner of Street Cleaning.