Description: Sorting Refuse at Incinerating Plant, New York City 1903 Photographed May 9, 1903. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Camera: Edwin S. Porter Collected refuse being sorted at one of Manhattan's incinerating plants. The man in the background with an emblem on his hat is probably a city sanitation worker. He is unloading a wagon of collected garbage for separation and incineration. The men laboring in this scene are separating paper and other scrap materials from the rest of the waste, probably for bulk recycling. The location may be the New York City Sanitation Department's East 18th Street facility, or possibly the incinerator at West 47th Street on the Hudson River. The salable articles recovered at a New York refuse disposal station. Material Sold from the 18th Street Yard in 1899. Manila paper, pounds 461,385 Newspaper, pounds 905,301 Mixed paper, pounds 442,866 Strawboard, pounds 587,208 Mixed wrapping paper, pounds 635,136 Books, pounds 18,620 Woolen rags, pounds 18,617 White rags, pounds 41,450 Mixed rags, pounds 116,550 Black rags, pounds 200,495 Bagging, pounds 48,055 Twine, pounds 21,070 Soft back carpet, pounds 18,795 Hard back carpet, pounds 79,820 Wool carpet, pounds 3,915 Linsey carpet, pounds 7,180 Rough cloth and old coats, pounds 20,945 Stockings, pounds 4,600 Shoes (bulk), pounds 38,160 Shoes, pairs 1,435 Siphons . . 603 Siphon heads 21 Quarts 1,995 Lagers 18,759 Sodas 7,751 Weiss 104 Iron (scrap), pounds 80,800 Mixed bottles, barrels 350 Hats 2,100 Curled hair, pounds 765 Copper, pounds 4-94. Zinc, pounds 2,090 Brass, pounds 1,607 Lead, pounds 303 Rubber shoes, pounds 4,712 Rubber mats, pounds 2,712 Rubber hose, pounds 1,255 Rubber (white), pounds 1,090 Hair cloth, pounds 400 Large bottles, pounds 64 Tin cans, loads 12 Excelsior, pounds 260 Bed springs 16 Mattresses 36 Brushes, dozen 1 Electricity was being generated from garbage over 100 years ago. Source: Joseph G. Branch, B. S., M. E., 1905, Heat and Light: From Municipals Waste - WM. H. O'Brien Printing and Publishing CO. St. Louis, MO, United States of America Source: TigerRocket (YouTube)