How Rotterdam's dirty past led to modern waste management
150 years ago, Rotterdam's streets were filthy, spreading diseases like cholera. The city's solution—a cleaning service—became the foundation for today's waste management, improving public health and hygiene for residents.
| Key Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Year of establishment | 1876 |
| Founder | A.C. Kramer (city pharmacist) |
| Initial workforce | ~200 men (ex-convicts, physically impaired) |
| First waste incinerator | 1912 (Europe’s first, on Brielselaan) |
| Sewer construction | Around 1900 |
| Emigrant delousing | Early 20th century (required by the U.S.) |
| Name change to Roteb | 1956 (Cleaning, Disinfection, Transport, and Fire Service) |
| Current status | Part of City Management since 2013 |
The Municipality of Rotterdam established the city cleaning service to tackle public health crises caused by poor waste management. This initiative evolved into Roteb, a key player in urban sanitation and infrastructure. Today, it operates under City Management, ensuring clean and healthy living conditions for residents.
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Precursor to Roteb: poop barrels and delousing
150 years ago, Rotterdam was a mess. Waste was simply dumped in the streets or in the water. Until the municipality decided to set up a city cleaning service: the precursor to Roteb.
The situation in Rotterdam in the second half of the 19th century was downright dirty, unhygienic, and unhealthy. There was no sewer system. Instead, the feces were collected in buckets or barrels. These were then emptied into canals. Such as the Coolvest, a canal in the place where the Coolsingel is now located.
Awful stench
Waste was also thrown into the water. The bigger the city grew, the more this became a problem. An awful stench arose. And the water in the canals was also used as a source for drinking water. This led to the spread of all kinds of infectious diseases, such as cholera and typhus.
Dogs buried
In 1876, the city pharmacist of Rotterdam, A.C. Kramer, received the assignment from the city council to set up a city cleaning service. He was allowed to hire about 200 men. These were mainly ex-convicts and people who were physically impaired. Their tasks included sweeping, picking up trash, collecting and emptying poop barrels, disinfecting contaminated houses and items, and putting down and burying dogs.
First waste incineration plant
From 1899, things were taken more professionally. The new director M.A. van der Perk hired more and sturdier people. They received a uniform and a better wage. Van der Perk also introduced the trash can with a lid. Waste offered in a bucket without a lid was not taken away. In 1912, the first waste incineration plant in Europe was opened on Brielselaan. What also helped for a more pleasant city was the construction of sewers, around 1900. The stinking canals were filled in.
Disinfecting emigrants
In the first quarter of the 20th century, this service had another important task: delousing and disinfecting people who wanted to emigrate to America. This was a requirement of the United States. If emigrants had something wrong with them, the US sent them back without pardon. The transport company had to pay for this, so there was every interest in checking the people before departure.
Headquarters bombed
The bombing of May 14, 1940 destroyed the headquarters of the Rotterdam city cleaning service. With it, the entire administration and the extensive photo archive also disappeared. In 1951, the new headquarters at Kleinpolderplein was opened. Later, the well-known letters ROTEB appeared there.
Cleaning, Roteb, City Management
In 1956, the city cleaning service officially received the name Roteb: Cleaning, Disinfection, Transport, and Fire Service. From 1972, the B stood for Workshops. Since 2013, the service falls under City Management and the name Roteb is no longer officially used.