WWII Paper Garbage Can

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and just wanted to know if any of you could confirm that what I have is actually a WWII era "paper" garbage can. I know that metal in the consumer market was scarce at the time with most of it going to the war effort and that many metal products were made with other material during that time. Just wondering if this is what I have, I was rescued from Gramma's basement because I thought it was pretty neat. If this is actually a WWII era can is there any type of a market for something like this or is just a neat piece of history worth holding onto? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks!

 

I'm more inclined to think it was used as a packing crate. Maybe for shipping something like hats? What did Grandpa do for a living? Could it have been something he would have brought home?

Metal may have been hard to come by, but I don't think it was extinct for things like garbage cans.

 

Oh, forgive me.
Welcome to the boards.

 

Cool, great grandfather owned a carpentry shop that built crates for the war effort! I was always told they were actual wood crates but who knows. Thanks for the prompt reply!

 

Just asked my mother who was a young woman during World War II and she tells me she's never seen such a thing (rope handles?) and wasn't the type of garbage cans in use at that time.

Debora

 

The 1940s was not a disposable society like we have today. Things were kept and reused.
I'm still think something came to the shop shipped in this and he kept it to use for something else.

 

Just an idea but . . .

After a quick look around for information I found that paper was one of the "rationed" items during WWII. There were "paper drives" during the war (they were "recycling" back then). I'm wondering if that container was a "specified" paper collection container. What better way to designate a "paper collection" container than to make it out of paper. Surely no self-respecting garbage collector would have thrown (or emptied) that can into the "garbage" truck.

I find it interesting that (apparently) paper was needed for packing/protecting war equipment "parts" which had to be shipped/flown from the USA to lands overseas where WWII was raging.

 

Is this paper or cardboard? Same thing, really, but I would characterize it as cardboard. Can you take non-fuzzy photos in better light and show details - inside, bottom, closeup of handles. I'm not seeing anything WWII era about this. It looks more like something from Home Goods or Bombay (the store)

 

Welcome!

 

If it were older, it would probably be constructed of waxed cardboard. Don't know what they called waxed cardboard, I'm sure there was a name.

 

It doesn't seem to be so. It's just waxed or wax sealed cardboard.

 

I have a few of the cardboard ones with the metal locking ring top. I also have a 30 gallon, or so, metal one that seals and held water.

 

The rope handle does seem very clean for something that has supposedly been carried around since the 1940s

 

It all does but I like it.
It would have to have been sealed up somewhere to not age much at all I should think.

 

I've been around for a while, and lived through all sorts of shortages and rationing and I have never seen anything like that designated for trash. Which is NOT to say that it never happened, but I don;t remember it from the war period. To me it appears to be a packing case for transporting (not necessarily shipping) some product. I have similarly constructed pieces for rolled paper blueprints, wig/hat boxes, etc. And they range in age widely.................

 

Mother's memory was accurate. Here are the types of garbage can in use during World War II.

Debora

 

EXCELLENT!

 

Funny how eggshells are edible....but fish heads are inedible...!!!

Boy...things sure have changed !!

 

ew

 

Bur they are both compostable.

Back when I had a rose garden, we used to spread coffee grounds, eggshells and banana peels around the bushes. Plus eggshells are good for deterring slugs.