Exploring the global success of the Jasper plan in promoting garbage disposals, the challenges faced with General Electric's advertising campaign, and the focus on disease prevention beyond just waste management in the town.
In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and plastics, but yucky junk, like food waste, wouldn't get picked up.
This change was made possible by a new appliance: the garbage disposer – that little grinding machine at the bottom of a lot of kitchen sinks.
The Monster Under the Sink