Thanks, Brian Dunaway.   

I suppose it’s the combination of being a chemical engineer, and not believing the government if they told me that the sky is blue, has led me to recycling not one tiny thing in my entire life. That might not be entirely reasonable, but from the very beginning (in my twenties?), the smell of BS permeates the exercise. Since, I have been reading articles of this type for many years. This one has some pretty good links – I’m almost certain I saw the John Stossel and Frontline videos.

This article reminded me to revisit the citizen effort to collect scrap metal for recycling in support of the WWII machine. I had no idea of the scope of this exercise (emphasis mine): “Citizens were asked to scour their homes and businesses for spare metal. From pots and pans to metal toys, to car bumpers, to farm equipment – any metal was considered valuable. Communities melted down Civil War cannons and tore down wrought iron fences, sacrificing their history for their future.”

That is, presumably. In manner as today (emphasis mine), “Most Americans viewed the scrap drives as their patriotic duty to contribute their time and their products. Historians, however, debate how necessary scrap drives were and whether or not they helped … Most importantly, these drives galvanized the Home Front and created a sense of patriotic unity.”