We’re so used to today’s sanitation standards, it can be easy to forget how far we’ve come with waste collection. But it wasn’t that long ago that the handling of trash was inconsistent and resulted in unsightly piles lining city streets and sidewalks. That started to change in 1893 when a Dutch immigrant named Harm Huizenga began collecting trash in Chicago for a small fee.
With little more than a modest wagon, he built up a reliable client base over the years by effectively managing the waste of a rapidly changing society. But in the post-war period, something happened that most waste providers weren’t ready for: a shift toward disposable products that were designed to make lives simpler.