Eugène Poubelle
Encyclopedia
Eugène-René Poubelle was the man who introduced the dustbin, or trash can, to Paris and after whom the French dustbin (la poubelle) is now named. He was a lawyer, administrator and diplomat who as préfet
of the Seine
region of France introduced hygiene measures in Paris to which a newspaper gave his name.
He became very popular for introducing 'the rubbish bin' for everyone to use to put their waste in there.
and Toulouse
before being made préfet, or president's representative and regional administrator, in the Charente
in April 1871. He became successively préfet in Isère
, Corsica
, Doubs
, Bouches-du-Rhône
and finally, from 1883 to 1896, in the Seine département.
Becoming préfet of the Seine was significant because more local administration, at town halls, had been largely removed in Paris . On 7 March 1884 Poubelle decreed that owners of buildings must provide those who lived there with three covered containers of 40 to 120 litres to hold household refuse. It was to be sorted into perishable items, paper and cloth, crockery and shells.
The population of Paris, close to two million, needed a system to empty the containers regularly. Parisians began to name their boxes after Poubelle, a habit encouraged by the newspaper Le Monde, which called them Boîtes Poubelle. But the boxes met resistance, owners of buildings resenting the cost of providing and supervising the bins and traditional rag-and-bone
men, the chiffoniers, seeing a threat to their living. The boxes deteriorated but the principles of what Poubelle established survived. But not until the end of the Second World War did dustbins and their collection by municipalities become common. By then poubelle as a noun had been established by a supplement of the Grand Dictionnaire Universel du 19ème Siècle in 1890.
Eugène Poubelle also campaigned successfully for direct drainage. A resurgence of cholera
in 1892 led to his decreeing in 1894 that buildings were to be connected direct to the sewers at the expense of the building's owner.
in 1896 and to the Roman court in 1898. He was consul general of the canton of Saissac
in the Aude
from 1898 to 1904, and president of the Société Centrale d'Agriculture de l'Aude, where he defended the interests of wine in the Midi.
. His bust is displayed outside the city's Musée des Beaux-Arts. A street in the 16th arrondissement
is named after him, between the avenue de Versailles and the quai Louis-Blériot.
Préfet
A prefect in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Sub-prefects are responsible for the subdivisions of departments, arrondissements...
of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
region of France introduced hygiene measures in Paris to which a newspaper gave his name.
He became very popular for introducing 'the rubbish bin' for everyone to use to put their waste in there.
Biography
Eugène Poubelle was born to a bourgeois family in Caen. He studied to become a lawyer and obtained a doctorate. He taught at universities in Caen, GrenobleGrenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
before being made préfet, or president's representative and regional administrator, in the Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
in April 1871. He became successively préfet in Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, Doubs
Doubs
Doubs is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.-History:As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect...
, Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
and finally, from 1883 to 1896, in the Seine département.
Becoming préfet of the Seine was significant because more local administration, at town halls, had been largely removed in Paris . On 7 March 1884 Poubelle decreed that owners of buildings must provide those who lived there with three covered containers of 40 to 120 litres to hold household refuse. It was to be sorted into perishable items, paper and cloth, crockery and shells.
The population of Paris, close to two million, needed a system to empty the containers regularly. Parisians began to name their boxes after Poubelle, a habit encouraged by the newspaper Le Monde, which called them Boîtes Poubelle. But the boxes met resistance, owners of buildings resenting the cost of providing and supervising the bins and traditional rag-and-bone
Rag and bone man
Rag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany...
men, the chiffoniers, seeing a threat to their living. The boxes deteriorated but the principles of what Poubelle established survived. But not until the end of the Second World War did dustbins and their collection by municipalities become common. By then poubelle as a noun had been established by a supplement of the Grand Dictionnaire Universel du 19ème Siècle in 1890.
Eugène Poubelle also campaigned successfully for direct drainage. A resurgence of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in 1892 led to his decreeing in 1894 that buildings were to be connected direct to the sewers at the expense of the building's owner.
Later career
Poubelle became ambassador to the VaticanHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1896 and to the Roman court in 1898. He was consul general of the canton of Saissac
Saissac
Saissac is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:The village is perched in the foothills of the Black Mountain at an altitude of 467 m and boasts stunning views of the Vernassonne Gorge as well as the valley plain which streches between Carcassonne and...
in the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
from 1898 to 1904, and president of the Société Centrale d'Agriculture de l'Aude, where he defended the interests of wine in the Midi.
Death and commemoration
Poubelle died in Paris on 15 July 1907 and is buried in the Herminis cemetery near CarcassonneCarcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
. His bust is displayed outside the city's Musée des Beaux-Arts. A street in the 16th arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
is named after him, between the avenue de Versailles and the quai Louis-Blériot.