How has air quality in Los Angeles County recently been trending?
Photo from the California Historical Society Collection at USC Library.
Circa 1910-1930. Refuse collector on the streets of Los Angeles, said to be from the Department of Public Works. Before World War II, Los Angeles residents burned most of their trash in their backyards. Organic waste, such as food scraps, was either composted or left on curbs for pick up by waste collectors (such as in the photo) to be hauled to pig farms. Although the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation had been operating since 1890, it appeared to mostly focus on cremating dead animal carcasses and the like to prevent disease. During World War II, the City of Los Angeles took over all residential waste collection in order to help conserve or recycle materials for the war effort. After the war, residents went back to burning waste in backyard incinerators. In 1957, in response to worsening air pollution, backyard incineration was banned. Waste was still generally sorted by type and left on curbs in piles or sorted in bins. In 1961, Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty directed that all waste, regardless of type, be placed in the same bins, and hauled away to landfills.
We may be one of the most urbanized regions in the nation, but we still have direct access to farmers.
