We created Mount Recyclemore in collaboration with the Mutoid Waste Company’s Joe Rush and Alex Wreckage. Joe is renowned for his environmental art installations and has collaborated with artists including Banksy, Vivienne Westwood and Damien Hirst.
Introducing Mount Recyclemore
E-waste poses a huge threat to the environment - and developed nations are among the worst offenders for producing it. With the G7 summit taking place in the United Kingdom, we decided to create a sculpture to send a message.
What is Mount Recyclemore?
Inspired by Mount Rushmore, ‘Mount Recyclemore’ is a giant sculpture of the G7 leaders’ heads made entirely of discarded electronics located on Sandy Acres in Cornwall, UK near the venue for the G7 summit. Its purpose is to highlight the growing threat e-waste poses to the environment and the importance of taking action now.
What is e-waste?
E-waste is any electronic item that is discarded, donated or recycled. E-waste which isn’t recycled often ends up in landfill or unauthorized dump sites and poses a series of environmental risks.
The toxic chemicals inside our tech seep into the earth’s soil and water, while burning tech releases chemicals into the air. Temperate exchange equipment also contains refrigerant greenhouse gases.
Discarding e-waste means the precious materials contained in tech products can’t be reused. This means more primary raw materials are extracted and refined to produce new products, which increases greenhouse gas emissions.
The UN estimates that 53 million tonnes of e-waste is generated globally every year. This figure is expected to double by 2050, making it the fastest-growing waste stream in the world.
The G7 nations produce 15.9 million tons of e-waste each year, with the US the worst offender.
USA - 6.9m tonnes per year
Japan - 2.9m tonnes per year
Germany - 1.6m tonnes per year
UK - 1.3m tonnes per year
American attitudes to e-waste
Our previous research found that 91% of American homes contain unused electronics. This unused tech could be worth up to $43 billion! Despite this, our latest survey found...
More than half of Americans don’t know what e-waste is
...didn’t know e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world
More than half weren’t aware it impacted climate change
...were surprised by the amount of e-waste the US produces every year.
The most concerning finding, however, is that 1 in 3 Americans (nearly 70 million people) think the proper way to dispose of electronics is via their home recycling or garbage can.
What can we do about e-waste?
Everyone can help to reduce e-waste by reselling and recycling the products they no longer use, as well as buying refurbished technology instead of new products.
We at Decluttr are strong believers in a circular economy where products are resold, recycled, refurbished and reused to reduce environmental damage. 95% of products we buy from our customers are refurbished and we use the parts from the remaining 5% to refurbish other items.
So if you have old tech at home, why not recycle it with us? As well as protecting the planet, you’ll make extra cash when you recycle cell phones on our Sell My Phone page (as well as other tech). We also sell refurbished phones and tech, which are an environmentally-friendly alternative to buying new.