Period Rubbish

[TomW]

Digging out an old flower border to increase the veg plot, I came across a layer of Victorian rubbish, you know the sort of stuff, broken plates, bowls and bottles, bits of tile and brick and nameless rusting lumps of iron.
It got me thinking about rubbish collection and removal back then, did they have such a service, presumably not, why bury it otherwise.
And in the time before plastic wrapping, how much rubbish did they have? Most things would have been burnable or compostable, and nothing that could be recycled or repaired would have been chucked.

I sieved out three rubbish sacks worth of this stuff and took it to the local recycling centre where I saw a perfectly good, undamaged Butler sink in the hardcore skip, and as I was leaving a guy trundled a very serviceable looking builders barrow (the sort with the pneumatic tyre) over to the metal recycling skip and chucked it in! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, do we value things so little these days?

 

[Penners]

I think what you've found was known for centuries as the "midden". Otherwise known as the garden rubbish dump!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Ooh nice word Mr P. We've got a 100 year old beech on our midden! Every now and again things surface from the roots - mainly pots, old bits of agricultral unidentifiable stuff. I think the best thing we've found is some sort of a barrow - that was in the west hedgerow by the field. I can't quite work out what's missing, must post a pic.
But it is incredible to look around the room and think how many of the objects you look at didn't exist in 1800 (when this was built) -and then to think of how many of those objects you're likely to want in 15 years' time. It's dreadful, although I will sound like Biff I think we're at the last gasp of the most wasteful civilisation that's existed- the globalisation that has allowed such a plethora of inessential bits and bobs and disposable detritus is unsustainable and in 200 years people will look back in sheer wonder and disgust at how we live.
Recently I went to Primark and was simply appalled at what was going on. It just seems like such a terrible, terrible waste of effort and energy - and I think I'm more bothered at the pointlessness of creating the unbeautiful throwaway garment than the much debated environmental cost.
The simplicity of the period home and the lack of stuff for the midden is a very inspirational aesthetic ideal.

 

[Penners]

Ooh nice word Mr P.

It apparently arrived with us from Scandinavia, via Middle-English (or so Mr Wikipedia informs me).

Recently I went to Primark and was simply appalled at what was going on.

You clearly fail to appreciate the importance of having a new wrapover cardigan, just like Sienna's (for £4.99).

 

[Ixia]

We collect lots of sea glass from the beach, apparently much of it is Victorian and they used to dump it in the sea.

We haven't found anything interested buried at our house, but the solicitor who handled our house purchase, found 3 intact cast iron fireplaces buried in his back garden.....I live in hope

 

[LadyArowana]

Recently I went to Primark and was simply appalled at what was going on. It just seems like such a terrible, terrible waste of effort and energy - and I think I'm more bothered at the pointlessness of creating the unbeautiful throwaway garment than the much debated environmental cost.
The simplicity of the period home and the lack of stuff for the midden is a very inspirational aesthetic ideal.

I bought a pair of their jeans when I was doing our renovation work, 8 pounds, and the things refuse to wear out. That was in their huge store on Oxford St, and just before Christmas. The place was heaving with people, there was a lot of sparkly polyester being bought ( NO, NOT BY ME ) and it seemed to be making people happy. If no one shopped there then the place would vanish, but there is demand :roll:

 

[Penners]

And allegedly* the clothes are so finely stitched by those little 8-year-old fingers.



* qualified on advice of counsel

 

[TomW]

And the clothes are so finely stitched by those little 8-year-old fingers.

Now, now Penners, I think you may need an "allegedly" in there somewhere.
By the by, my 19th century midden is rapidly becoming a 21st century one, as every cat in the area seems to think that my new veg plot is the cat's whiskers of a toilet tray. Time to get out the high pressure water gun and the long proddy stick.
(I like cats, just not other peoples)

 

[LadyArowana]

By the by, my 19th century midden is rapidly becoming a 21st century one, as every cat in the area seems to think that my new veg plot is the cat's whiskers of a toilet tray. Time to get out the high pressure water gun and the long proddy stick.
(I like cats, just not other peoples)

Do you have a cat of your own? if you do then you should probably have a quiet word about territoriality and why it shouldn't be letting other kitties use the bathroom.

 

[wobs]

The book Rubbish! by Richard Girling begins with a brief history of waste collection starting in Medieval England. If my memory is working correctly (perhaps), there were collections in Victorian England, and much of it was of some use. Few items were ever discarded permanently if sent to the right chap.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rubbish-Dirt-hands-crisis-ahead/dp/1903919444/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1303135464&sr=8-2

The charge that globalisation is the cause for so much waste I feel is slightly off target. Certainly it is responsible for the quantity that we dispose of, as it has provided with us cheaper and more choice of goods than ever before. However, I believe the cause is more fundamental. It is the path we take in the materials we use and how we think about the goods we buy that is the main course. This hasn't changed with globalisation, but it needs to.

Before the explosion of consumerism that we have witnessed in the last few decades, there were still electrical goods, that once broken often ended up in landfill. Many clothes ended up in bins as they get worn out just as today, and made of man made fibres. Plastics were prevelant in many waste bins when I was growing up, and few thought of where they were going (although I had a Ladybird book from aged 5 about the environment and consumerism, so it must have had an impact on me as I noted these things). I know much more repairs were carried out in the past, but they still broke to be disposed of eventually, and they didn't all last for many years.

It is largely the plastics and composite materials that are the problem (good job households rarely burn their waste at home these days!), as so may are difficult or uneconomic to recycle. What we need is not just waste reduction, but to look at the materials we use. How easy are they to break down to recover the materials for reuse. Some expensive large items are starting to improve in this area through clever design, but society has a long way to go.

While the quantity may have increased, we are still buying and disposing of non-recycleables with little thought of what we are going to do with them. My favourite quote in the above book is "no one looks to the UK as an example of what to do with their waste". (from memory)

 

[Coz]

We have started clearing the plot of land nest door to our cottage, which we recently bought to put back the original garden. So far we have found 18 ball cocks, a bath - modern unfortunately, an oil drum, the chassis for a static caravan, various sized wheels and all this is only in the first section - another three to go. However, when doing a spot of weeding in our other garden I found an old salt cellar, two old medicine bottles and an 18ct gold and diamond ring dated 1875 - so I suppose that makes up for it. Hopefully by the time we've got rid of the tons and tons of nettles I may find other interesting objects - I will keep you posted!

 

[TomW]

Do you have a cat of your own? if you do then you should probably have a quiet word about territoriality and why it shouldn't be letting other kitties use the bathroom.

Sadly, LadyArowana, I do not have a cat at the moment, although I did have six at one time, now all departed
I may think about getting another, but not for a while, and vet's bills are so expensive now.

 

[LadyArowana]

Do you have a cat of your own? if you do then you should probably have a quiet word about territoriality and why it shouldn't be letting other kitties use the bathroom.

Sadly, LadyArowana, I do not have a cat at the moment, although I did have six at one time, now all departed
I may think about getting another, but not for a while, and vet's bills are so expensive now.

Not having a cat is probably better than having a cat that doesn't work properly ( although Mr P would disagree, he is firmly on the canine side of the cat/ dog divide ). There must be neighbours with them though or you wouldn't be getting the problem. Perhaps a few offerings of food would help them reclassify your garden from public convenience to free restaurant.

 

[Penners]

Not having a cat is probably better than having a cat

I couldn't agree more.

 

[LadyArowana]

:lol: I knew you would say that.

 

[Penners]

I'm nothing if not predictable.

:wink:

 

[LadyArowana]

Dragging this vaguely back to the topic of garbage and what to do with it there are some interesting art projects on here http://inspirationgreen.org/green-art-blog.html

 

[JoceAndChris]

Interesting indeed LadyA! In an indulgent I could only look at it very briefly in a gallery kind of way.

Do people think I should hang onto this period rubbish? Or burn it? These useless bits of wood are all over the place, especially the old fence posts.

Old guttering - lots of this kicking about.