Abstract
IN a lecture on “World Waste and the Atlantic Charter” at the Union Society's Hall, Oxford (Oxford : B. H. Blackwall, Ltd. ; 1s. net), Sir James Marchant points out that the lessening rate of discovery and the intensive use of minerals have already, independently of the increased demands due to the War, led to shortages here and there which are not being compensated by discovery. Salvage and recovery are with us as permanent aspects of the conservation of resources, and not only as part of a war economy. Scrap recovery is of increasing importance and must figure with natural resources in any scheme affecting the control of raw materials. Referring to remarks made by Mr. Hutchings, principal director of salvage and recovery, Ministry of Supply, regarding economy in use and in manufacture, Sir James emphasizes that there must be substitution of one material for another so as to prevent a scarcity of one raw material holding up production. Salvage involves policy and planning to ensure that the materials required are in the right place at the fight time and in the right amount, and the discovery of available materials, as well as their collection and disposal to the best advantage. In regard to metal scrap, an international convention for marking material made from the main types of alloys to help in their easy identification is required, as well as improved methods for sorting and cleaning old scrap and getting it into suitable form for re-melting. Losses by corrosion when scrap, often finely divided, is kept for long periods, must also be avoided by early removal of dumps. In the grand strategy of post-war reconstruction, the prevention of all waste throughout the world, Sir James urges, must occupy a dynamic position, and he includes in his survey not merely minerals, rubber, bones, oil, paper, kitchen waste, but also wastage of human material in industry or through defective education.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
World Waste and the Atlantic Charter. Nature 151, 554–555 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/151554c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/151554c0