Waste not

When he was 16, Robert Opie saved a packet of Munchies. Mr Opie went on to become a consumer historian, and his cultural collateral, including the packaging from the Munchies he ate as a teenager, is now known as The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising. I think the man is a genius to have salvaged so much interesting... rubbish. The museum's new exhibition is called Waste Not, Want Not, and here's what the press release has to say:

"During the austerity years of the 1940s Britain had to economise on raw materials, save on energy and salvage scarce commodities. Encouraged by a powerful propaganda machine, a motivated population devised ingenious ways to reduce packaging and make everything last longer... Uppermost in everyone’s mind was the need to be sparing in the use of meagre resources. While few may now remember those years of rationing and blackouts, the lessons from the past can teach us how to make better use of limited resources today."

The exhibition is running 22nd January-29th November 2009.