Creating art with e-waste

American artist Chris Jordan, well known for his works depicting mass consumption and waste, is calling on Australians to help him create a large-scale artwork by handing in their old mobile phones. The project is being supported by not-for-profit mobile phone recycler MobileMuster.

Jordan will be constructing the 7 x 8 m artwork in Melbourne’s Federation Square from 12-14 February. To be entirely made of old mobile phones and accessories, it will be Australia’s largest ever e-waste artwork - one which will bring attention to a growing problem.

Every day there are more than 12,000 old mobile phones being replaced and either stored in homes or thrown away, rather than being recycled, with 23 million unused handsets in Australia today. As noted by Rose Read, manager recycling, MobileMuster, “That’s one unused mobile phone ready to be recycled for every person in Australia.”

If these 23 million mobiles were recycled, this would lessen the need to mine over 140,000 tonnes of precious metal ore, recover over 397 tonnes of plastic and have the equivalent environmental impact of planting over 120,000 trees.

“With so many mobiles stored in homes it is like having a vast mine of resources available,” said Jordan, “but without the pollution, rubbish heaps, giant machines and environmental destruction.”

Consumers can easily get involved in Jordan’s project by recycling their old mobile phones, batteries and accessories in the following ways:

• Drop them off at one of over 4000 MobileMuster public drop-off points.
• Post them in using a reply-paid satchel from Australia Post or a free mailing label from http://mobilemuster.com.au.
• Head down to Federation Square from 12 February to meet the artist, witness the construction of Australia’s largest e-waste artwork and drop off in person.

The artwork will be displayed until 16 February, at which point all the mobile phones will be recycled.