Content note: Printed captions use the period term 'natives' for New Guinea carriers shown in a photograph. This object is shown as it was published. Why
From Waste Paper into War Weapons: Save all waste paper!
Photo montage of paper bales, a paper mill, children pulling a wagon of paper, artillery with cardboard shell cases, and boxes of supplies unloaded at the front, under 'From Waste Paper Into War Weapons' and 'SAVE ALL WASTE PAPER!'. The technique is plain-folks and transfer: ordinary children's collecting is linked by captions to soldiers' supplies.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Issuer not printed
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Issuer not printed. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-845 (NAID 514339).
Text on the object
FROM WASTE PAPER INTO WAR WEAPONS TOP PHOTO SHOWS WASTE PAPER BEING LOADED INTO CARS FOR DELIVERY TO MILLS. THE PAPER SHOWN IN THIS PHOTO IS ABOUT A TWO DAY SUPPLY FOR THE AVERAGE PAPER MILL. IN LOWER SCENE, WASTE PAPER BECOMES PAPER PULP IN REFINING BEATER WHERE IT IS COOKED. RATIONS, BLOOD PLASMA, MEDICAL AND AMMUNITION SUPPLIES PACKED IN PAPERBOARD CONTAINERS, BEING UNLOADED AT WAR FRONTS. VARIOUS SIZED CARD BOARD SHELL CONTAINERS FOR OVERSEAS SHIPMENT ARE MADE FROM WASTE PAPER. SHOWN ABOVE ARE SHELL CASES IN THE FOREGROUND OF A SCENE ON ATTU ISLAND CARTONS CONTAINING BLOOD PLASMA BEING DELIVERED BY NATIVES IN NEW GUINEA. BOYS AND GIRLS COLLECTING WASTE PAPER IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR DELIVERY TO A JUNK DEALER OR A CHARITY ORGANIZATION, WHICH WILL START IT ON ITS WAY TO WAR PRODUCTION. SAVE ALL WASTE PAPER!
