In the Second World War, recycling was called salvage, the collection
of discarded materials which could be transformed and re-used for
war purposes, A Salvage
Division, formed within the Department of
National War Services in January 1941, organized a national campaign
to set up local committees in all the towns and cities and all the
industries in the country. They publicized collection drives and
coordinated local efforts with those of the scrap industry and other
recovery industries. By 1944 shortages were no more, and the drives
for scrap metal, rubber and fat and bones could be stopped. Salvage
allowed every Canadian to feel a part of the war effort, and made
it possible to find substitutes for materials in short supply or
cut off by enemy blockades.
![Dig in and dig out the scrap, save rags, bones, glass, metals, paper, rubber - AN19890086-523 [PCDN=MPCD3158-2011-0253-030]](images/salvage_e_min.gif)