New York City was the first major city in the world to establish organized garbage collection, starting in 1895. The initiative came from Colonel George E. Waring Jr., the head of the city’s sanitation department. He created what was famously called the “White Wings”, a fleet of sanitation workers dressed in white uniforms who cleaned the streets and collected trash.

Why It’s Noteworthy:

• Before Waring’s reforms, NYC was infamous for its dirty streets and rampant disease outbreaks.

• Waring’s program recycled nearly 15% of the city’s waste, pioneering early concepts of recycling and composting.

• This sanitation revolution influenced cities around the world to adopt formalized garbage collection and recycling systems.

Waring’s efforts transformed waste management from an unregulated practice into a critical public service, and his legacy continues to shape modern junk removal and recycling practices.