Garbage in Pompeii was recycled, not just thrown away — scientists
Recent excavations show that the garbage left outside the walls of the city of Pompeii was not simply dumped. It was collected, sorted and resold.
Pompeii researchers found that the huge mounds of garbage outside the city walls were actually a kind of bridgehead for preparing future use of materials.
Previously, it was believed that these landfills were formed during the earthquake that occurred in the city about 17 years before the eruption of the volcano. But the latest scientific analysis made it possible to trace the movement of some types of urban waste to landfills and back to the city, where the material became part of buildings, for example, floors.
During the study, a team of scientists found that part of the city was built from garbage. The piles outside the walls of the city were not material that they simply got rid of. They were collected and sorted to resell inside the city.
Professor Allison Emmerson, an American scientist, noted that some of the embankments contained pieces of ceramics and plaster that could easily be used as building materials.
In order to track the movement of garbage, scientists used land samples. “The soil we dig up differs depending on where the trash was originally left,” the researchers commented. “The garbage dumped in cesspools or toilets leaves behind rich organic soil. On the contrary, the waste that has accumulated over time on the streets or in barrows outside the city leads to sandy soil.”
The difference in soil allows you to see if the garbage was produced in the place where it was found, or collected in another place for reuse and recycling.
Researchers notice that by reselling the waste and sorting it, the inhabitants of Pompeii have shown a successful model for recycling. Now, when the garbage crisis is very acute, it is those countries that give priority to the commercialization of garbage, rather than simple disposal, that cope with it best.
Pompeii researchers found that the huge mounds of garbage outside the city walls were actually a kind of bridgehead for preparing future use of materials.
Previously, it was believed that these landfills were formed during the earthquake that occurred in the city about 17 years before the eruption of the volcano. But the latest scientific analysis made it possible to trace the movement of some types of urban waste to landfills and back to the city, where the material became part of buildings, for example, floors.
During the study, a team of scientists found that part of the city was built from garbage. The piles outside the walls of the city were not material that they simply got rid of. They were collected and sorted to resell inside the city.
Professor Allison Emmerson, an American scientist, noted that some of the embankments contained pieces of ceramics and plaster that could easily be used as building materials.
In order to track the movement of garbage, scientists used land samples. “The soil we dig up differs depending on where the trash was originally left,” the researchers commented. “The garbage dumped in cesspools or toilets leaves behind rich organic soil. On the contrary, the waste that has accumulated over time on the streets or in barrows outside the city leads to sandy soil.”
The difference in soil allows you to see if the garbage was produced in the place where it was found, or collected in another place for reuse and recycling.
Researchers notice that by reselling the waste and sorting it, the inhabitants of Pompeii have shown a successful model for recycling. Now, when the garbage crisis is very acute, it is those countries that give priority to the commercialization of garbage, rather than simple disposal, that cope with it best.
