Jane Addams is appointed garbage inspector

Addams' approach began to change, however, and she became motivated to physically improve her neighborhood.

Concerned about the putrid conditions that bred rats in the alleys and streets where her clients' children played, she installed a garbage incinerator at Hull-House. When the city ignored her reports on the garbage conditions in her ward, she tried to get a job as the garbage collector. The city did not give her that job, but in 1895, appointed her the inspector of garbage. As inspector, Addams would make sure that the garbage bins were fully emptied and that the trash was properly burned.

In her own area of Chicago she led investigations on midwifery, narcotics consumption, milk supplies, and sanitary conditions, even going so far as to accept the official post of garbage inspector of the Nineteenth Ward, at an annual salary of a thousand dollars.

Observing the long hours and dangerous working conditions that the neighborhood children were forced to endure, Addams and her friends soon began working for state regulation of child labor, and went on to lobby in Washington, D.C. At home, when city garbage collectors continually ignored overflowing garbage bins, Addams applied for and was appointed to the position of ward garbage inspector, and forced the trash collectors to remove the filth.

Jane was happy with Hull House and the positive results of it, but by the same token, was saddened by what was happening outside in the streets. She constantly complained to the city officials about the poor garbage system in Chicago. To quiet her, the mayor made her the official garbage inspector. To their surprise, Jane took her appointment very seriously. She followed trash wagons to make sure that they picked everything up. If they dared not, she became tough and persistent. Jane liked the results she got. She went as far as taking landlords who didn't keep their garbage contained, to court and made sure all dead animals were removed from the streets. Jane didn't stop there, she worked on many more important projects for many causes. Jane worked for political campaigns, raised money for Hull House, lobbied for child-labor laws and workman's compensation laws.