While government showed little interest in development of waste management systems, a few people took on the cause individually. For instance, in 1739, Benjamin Franklin and his neighbors unsuccessfully petitioned the Pennsylvania Assembly to stop waste dumping and remove tanneries from Philadelphia’s commercial district. Mr. Franklin also worked to improve sanitary and safety conditions in Philadelphia in 1757, advocating for improvements to policing, street cleaning, sidewalks, road paving, lighting, and the city docks.
- Ovarik, William, Ph.D., “Environmental History Timeline: 1200 – 1750,” <http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/2middle.html> (March 23, 2007).
- A. Leo Lemay, The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 2: Printer and Publisher, 1730-1747 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006), 402.