Page 53 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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24 Waste Management Practices: Municipal, Hazardous, and Industrial

FIGURE 2.1 Medieval woodcut showing fecal matter being dumped from a window.

and ravens were protected by law because they fed upon the waste heaps. According to one report
of the period, “The pigs which roamed about grew fat on the offal in the streets. Dogs were innu-
merable.” (Rawlinson, 1958)
The city of Paris had a unique experience associated with their waste problems. In 1131, a law
was passed prohibiting swine from running loose in the streets after young King Philip, son of Louis
the Fat, was killed in a riding accident caused by a loose pig. The monks of a local abbey protested
the law and were granted a dispensation. The controversy on allowing animals to run free in the
streets, however, continued for years (Melosi, 1981).
During the medieval period, sufficient fodder to feed winter animals was typically unavailable
near large cities like London; hence, many farm animals were slaughtered during the fall when graz-
ing was no longer possible. Smoking and salting meats did not preserve meats for the entire winter,
which created a strong demand for spices. Spices were used to mask the foul tastes and odor of par-
tially spoiled meat, fish, and other foods. Even with these efforts, spoiled food was a large compo-
nent of medieval European wastes (Alexander, 1993).
In 1354, an order was issued that “filth” deposited in front of houses was to be removed weekly
(Wilson, 1977). London wards were assigned a beadle or bailiff, who hired assistants called “rak-
ers.” Once a week, rakers would collect rubbish and dung from the middle of the streets and from