Poster, War on Waste c1939-45

Registration number

1723190

Printer

T. Rider, Government Printer, Melbourne

Title

Poster, War on Waste

Production date

c1939-45

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions (H x W x D)

46 x 30.7 cm

Inscriptions

WAR ON /WASTE / save / WASTE / PAPER / RAG ETC / ALUMINIUM / BRASS / COPPER / LEAD / ZINC ETC / Save / your scrap for the / Big Scrap / Inquire from / PATRIOTIC OR / CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS. / or from LOCAL COUNCIL OR SCHOOLS. / Regarding Disposal of Collected Materials. / ISSUED BY THE STATE CONTROLLER OF SALVAGE, MINES DEPT., TREASURY GARDENS MELBOURNE / T. Rider. Govt. Printer. Melb

Credit line

City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection

Keywords

War on waste, poster, World War II, WWII, 1939-45

Summary

This poster was almost certainly issued during the Second World War, the biggest ‘scrap’ of them all. In an era when recycling was driven by economic need rather than the comparatively recent concerns relating to the management of waste and the environment, it makes sense that this call-out for scrap materials was pitched in terms of survival. Indeed, while an outline of the island continent is fairly prominent in the poster, the need was so great that Australia’s own identity is sublimated in favour of the flag of empire, the Union Jack.