How did col. waring and the “white ducks” tackle the problem of unsanitary conditions in the city?

Colonel Waring did a number of things to tackle New York's sanitation problem.

The first was that he hired 2,000 sanitation workers, named the white ducks because of their uniforms, that worked regular routes and ensured the clean up of those routes.

Waring also instituted a recycling program and boiled down organic waste.