Paper Salvage 1939-1950
Encyclopedia
Paper Salvage was a part of a programme launched by the British Government in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War to encourage the recycling of materials to aid the war effort.
focused primarily on raising household collections. The scheme formed a key part of a wider National Salvage Campaign comparable to the American Salvage for Victory
campaign. It was inextricably linked to military and economic concerns and drew upon the experience of the First World War when prices had been driven up by the disruption to imports.
Drawing on this experience, a special Directorate was set up within the Ministry of Supply
on November 11th 1939 and a Salvage Controller was appointed soon after.
Initially the campaign focused on exhortation. Municipal authorities were required to submit targets and collection statistics to Whitehall
, whilst housewives were encouraged to sort their waste.
As the war progressed controls were tightened: salvage became compulsory in late 1940 (initially for local authorities with more than 10,000 inhabitants this was extended to smaller towns a year later covering an estimated 43million people) and, from 1942, those refusing to sort their waste could be fined £2500 and face two years in prison.
Locally, the scheme was run by over a hundred thousand volunteer Salvage Stewards who manned depots and encouraged the sorting of waste. Nationally, even the Royal family were keen to get involved with Princess Elizabeth
urging housewives to follow her lead.
The scheme was retained after war to help hasten the transition to peace. Following an economic crisis in 1947 efforts were redoubled and newspaper adverts explained how every ton of paper saved was equal to 2,956,800 cigarettes; 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) of ceiling board; 17,000 sheets of brown wrapping paper or 201,600 books of matches.
, concerned that over-enthusiasm might lead to the destruction of valuable archives, ran a much smaller-scale but vigorous counter-campaign to safeguard records that might be of current or future historical interest. It produced a leaflet using the slogan "Look before you throw", of which 33,000 copies had been distributed by the end of 1943.
collections had risen to 248,851 tons a year (30.8 per cent of total collections). This rose to a peak of 433,405 tons in 1942 (49.6 per cent of all collections); by which point 60 per cent of all new paper derived from recycled sources.
Collection figures dropped to c.200, 000 tons a year after the war but rose again in 1948 when 311 577 tons were collected by Local Authorities
.
With the price of scrap paper fixed at c.£5 a ton for a mixed bundle (compared to 5s before the war) rising for higher grades, this contributed between £3 and £5m to the economy.
However, government interest in its enforcement fluctuated: especially after 1947. Compulsion was removed on June 30th 1949, the Office of Paper Control wound up on December 31st, the Salvage Directorate was abolished on March 30th 1950 and price controls on April 24th 1950.
After this point, the scheme gradually and unevenly died away and British paper mills were forced to import waste paper from Holland, Sweden and Norway.
History
The compulsory recycling – or, as it was known, salvage – of paper in wartime and post war BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
focused primarily on raising household collections. The scheme formed a key part of a wider National Salvage Campaign comparable to the American Salvage for Victory
Salvage for Victory
The Salvage for Victory campaign was a program launched by the US Federal Government in 1942 to salvage materials for the American war effort in World War II....
campaign. It was inextricably linked to military and economic concerns and drew upon the experience of the First World War when prices had been driven up by the disruption to imports.
Drawing on this experience, a special Directorate was set up within the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
on November 11th 1939 and a Salvage Controller was appointed soon after.
Initially the campaign focused on exhortation. Municipal authorities were required to submit targets and collection statistics to Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, whilst housewives were encouraged to sort their waste.
As the war progressed controls were tightened: salvage became compulsory in late 1940 (initially for local authorities with more than 10,000 inhabitants this was extended to smaller towns a year later covering an estimated 43million people) and, from 1942, those refusing to sort their waste could be fined £2500 and face two years in prison.
Locally, the scheme was run by over a hundred thousand volunteer Salvage Stewards who manned depots and encouraged the sorting of waste. Nationally, even the Royal family were keen to get involved with Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
urging housewives to follow her lead.
The scheme was retained after war to help hasten the transition to peace. Following an economic crisis in 1947 efforts were redoubled and newspaper adverts explained how every ton of paper saved was equal to 2,956,800 cigarettes; 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) of ceiling board; 17,000 sheets of brown wrapping paper or 201,600 books of matches.
Counter-campaign
The British Records AssociationBritish Records Association
The British Records Association, widely known as the B.R.A., is a British learned society founded in 1932 concerned with historic records and archives. It issues a journal, Archives, and other publications; hosts conferences and seminars; and undertakes other activities to promote the care and...
, concerned that over-enthusiasm might lead to the destruction of valuable archives, ran a much smaller-scale but vigorous counter-campaign to safeguard records that might be of current or future historical interest. It produced a leaflet using the slogan "Look before you throw", of which 33,000 copies had been distributed by the end of 1943.
Results
According to government figures, less than 1,000 tons of scrap paper was salvaged each week in Britain before the war. By 1940, Local AuthorityHistory of local government in England
The history of local government in England is one of gradual change and evolution since the Middle Ages. England has never possessed a formal written constitution, with the result that modern administration is based on precedent, and is derived from administrative powers granted to older systems,...
collections had risen to 248,851 tons a year (30.8 per cent of total collections). This rose to a peak of 433,405 tons in 1942 (49.6 per cent of all collections); by which point 60 per cent of all new paper derived from recycled sources.
Collection figures dropped to c.200, 000 tons a year after the war but rose again in 1948 when 311 577 tons were collected by Local Authorities
History of local government in England
The history of local government in England is one of gradual change and evolution since the Middle Ages. England has never possessed a formal written constitution, with the result that modern administration is based on precedent, and is derived from administrative powers granted to older systems,...
.
With the price of scrap paper fixed at c.£5 a ton for a mixed bundle (compared to 5s before the war) rising for higher grades, this contributed between £3 and £5m to the economy.
However, government interest in its enforcement fluctuated: especially after 1947. Compulsion was removed on June 30th 1949, the Office of Paper Control wound up on December 31st, the Salvage Directorate was abolished on March 30th 1950 and price controls on April 24th 1950.
After this point, the scheme gradually and unevenly died away and British paper mills were forced to import waste paper from Holland, Sweden and Norway.