The sculpture, which has had three lives in different UK locations, has inspired thousands to make more sustainable choices with their tech and to help reduce e-waste.
The project was a collaborative effort between musicMagpie and artists Joe Rush and Alex Wreckage of the Mutoid Waste Company. Inspired by the world-famous Mount Rushmore, the sculpture featured each of the G7 leaders at the time, including President Joe Biden and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and was first installed overlooking the 2021 G7 Summit in Cornwall.
During June 2021, the campaign raised £30,000 for the global waste management charity, WasteAid, to help fund WasteAid’s sustainable e-waste management education programmes in lower-income countries.
After the G7 Summit, the installation ventured north to Stockport, the home of musicMagpie, before returning to Cornwall to become part of the Eden Project and was seen by thousands of people every month.
E-waste is an increasing environmental issue, having seen a dramatic rise in the past decade; across the globe we generate over 50 million metric tonnes of e-waste each year, that’s the same as 151 Empire State Buildings.
Made from approximately 20,000 discarded electronics including mobile phones, consoles and computer parts, the impressive installation provided an unmissable moment to reflect on our own tech use and the waste we produce.
The sculpture has been dismantled and will be sustainably and responsibly recycled.
Steve Oliver, founder and CEO, at musicMagpie, said: “We are immensely proud of the impact Mount Recyclemore has had since it was first constructed in June 2021. The project has travelled the length of the UK and has inspired thousands of people who came to visit it, or who saw it in the news and on social media.
“Our mission at musicMagpie is to bring e-waste to the forefront of consumers' minds when thinking about their tech behaviours and Mount Recyclemore has allowed us to shine a light on the sheer amount of unnecessary electronic waste that is produced each year and to educate people on how they can help.”
Dr Jo Elworthy, Director of Interpretation at the Eden Project, said: “Hats off to the amazing Mount Recyclemore and its wonderful creators as the moment has come when the heads come off and we say farewell to the installation in its current form.
“It had a great impact during the G7 and has been seen by tens of thousands at Eden since – a genuine head turner! It’s fitting that it is now on its own recycling journey on the eve of International E-Waste Day, reminding us all that there is no such place as away and so we need to ‘recycle it all, no matter how small.’”
