America's relationship with garbage By Kentia Culot 1657 New Amsterdam (now New York City) passed a law against casting waste in the streets 1757 Benjamin Franklin started the first American municipal street-cleaning operation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1800 Pigs loose in city streets throughout the country eat garbage. 1834 Charleston, West Virginia enacted a law protecting vultures from hunters, as the birds helped eat The city’s garbage. 1860 American newspapers are now printed on paper made from wood pulp fiber rather than rags 1872 New York City stops dumping its garbage from a platform built over the East River 1875 The Public Health Act began—prevent mass scavenging, clean up the U.S., and to give authority for waste collection. 1885 First U.S. incinerator is built on Governor’s Island in New York 1895 The first recycling center is established in New York City 1898 New York has first rubbish sorting plant for recycling. 1899 The federal Rivers and Harbors Act restricts dumping in all navigable rivers to keep them open for shipping