Because Science Turns Electronic Waste Into Art

Electronic waste is toxic and not biodegradable, so it poses a huge threat to the environment when not recycled properly.

Amanda Preske, the founder of Because Science turns electronic waste into art.

When asked about her favourite thing when new customers see her products, Amanda explained, "It's so cool because you can watch their whole facial expression change as they realize 'oh, it's a circuit board."

In this Slogging thread, our community discussed How Because-Science turns E-waste into art.

This Slogging thread is by Valentine Enedah, Robert Kuloba, Mónica Freitas, Marco Sullivan and Sara Pinto occurred in slogging's official #technology channel, and has been edited for readability.

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:36 PM

Turning e-waste into art: Because Science
https://www.wusa9.com/article/tech/science/science-e-waste-into-art-meet-the-founder-of-because-science-electronic-waste-environment-computer/65-f1c24716-a1b3-4ec6-8c01-35235b104323

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:40 PM

A naturally crafty person, Amanda discovered a passion for turning e-waste into jewellery and art. Shortly after, her company Because Science was born and she started selling her work at craft shows in 2007. "People loved it because they'd never seen anything like it. I was onto something."

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:45 PM

So, she took Circuit Breaker Labs and expanded upon it, rebranding a recreated concept she now calls: Because Science.
"The whole goal there is to celebrate art through science, or science through art, combining it all together."
And her background in chemistry has really bonded with her business.

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:47 PM

Amanda has an e-waste collection site at the store and anything not used for art will still be properly recycled by their partner eAsset Solutions based in Falls Church, Virginia.

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:48 PM

Mónica Freitas I think this is an interesting way of recycling and using E-waste.

Valentine EnedahDec 11, 2022, 4:57 PM

What do you think?
Do you resonate with this idea of recycling E-waste?

Robert KulobaDec 13, 2022, 3:07 PM

Insightful 💡 content here. I am happy to learn and help where possible 👏

Valentine EnedahDec 14, 2022, 12:08 PM

Welcome to slogging once again. How's the regulation of E-waste in your area?

Mónica FreitasDec 14, 2022, 2:01 PM

Valentine Enedah this is new! I love this idea! I checked their website and I'm particularly obsessed over their art. It's so original and you can tell the amount of time spent creating these

Mónica FreitasDec 14, 2022, 2:03 PM

I just read about an initiative to prevent e-waste: https://repair.eu/news/repair-cafe-foundation-discuss-the-need-for-a-right-to-repair/- these are meeting points where people bring broken items from home and a team of volunteers help them repair them.

"In this way, they can avoid the rapid purchase cycle of buying, using, discarding and buying again while creating a community of repairers. There are overhttps://www.repaircafe.org/en/about/."

Mónica FreitasDec 14, 2022, 2:06 PM

I also noticed something here, in Portugal, that even though i, even though a difference. As I was searching a tech store in my hometown for a tablet I've been wanting for a while, I checked their mobile phone section. And noticed they have a part of that section dedicated to phones that were returned by costumers, repaired and resold cheaper than you'd buy a new one

Valentine EnedahDec 14, 2022, 3:59 PM

Mónica Freitas Wow, this is actually interesting!
I love this initiative and it helps users reuse some products they claim might be good to use.

Valentine EnedahDec 14, 2022, 4:06 PM

Mónica Freitas This makes a lot of sense. We call these types of phones in Nigeria, "Second-hand phones".
There's a place in Lagos, Nigeria called "Computer- Village". I sometimes call the place Africa's silicon valley.
You can literally get anything computer related there. I also noticed due to high cost prices, most users buy second-hand Apple devices. We also tag them as "Uk-Used phones"😂

You can check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5YIbTVJ6GQ

Marco SullivanDec 14, 2022, 7:05 PM

Valentine Enedah Indeed,It's critical to keep electronic waste out of landfills.
Materials such as chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead can leach into the soil contaminating the air and waterways. EPA estimates there are about 60 million tons of e-waste per year globally. Recycling this material will save landfill space.

Valentine EnedahDec 14, 2022, 9:37 PM

Marco Sullivan Great perspective!
Do you own old devices that you don't use anymore?

Mónica FreitasDec 15, 2022, 2:09 PM

Valentine Enedah that's dope, thought. With apple you pay a lot just for the brand. Obviously spending $600-$1000 is not a possibility for a lot of people. So, having the option to buy a phone in really good condition for half the price is incredible

Sara PintoDec 15, 2022, 2:13 PM

Oh wow, this thread is awesome! Such innovative and fun ways to handle e-waste.

Marco SullivanDec 15, 2022, 2:21 PM

Valentine Enedah Not really!
I usually prefer to swap my old devices and add extra money to get new ones.

Sara PintoDec 15, 2022, 2:27 PM

About second-hand phones, it's really becoming a big thing here in Portugal, as Mónica said. There already several big brands that sell reconditioned phones. This means they repair their issues, and I believe they even changed the battery, so it is like a completely new one. I believe they even give it a grade so you know what's the phone's current state in terms of use. There's also companies making it fully their value proposition

Valentine EnedahDec 15, 2022, 3:35 PM

Mónica Freitas Yes, it is actually amazing.

Valentine EnedahDec 15, 2022, 3:37 PM

Sara Pinto This is actually a fantastic approach. Although, I'm skeptical about Apples' interest in embarking on these activities.

Sara PintoDec 15, 2022, 3:51 PM

In the cases I'm aware of, Apple isn't directly working with these companies. In this specific company, I'm not sure if people sell their iPhones to them or how it really works, but you should check out their website, if you're interested! The company is called https://swappie.com/pt-en/about-us/, Valentine Enedah.
Another thing I know Apple does is that if I have an old iPhone and wish to buy a new one, I can give them my old one and they give a voucher with a certain value. You can check it out https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in!

Valentine EnedahDec 15, 2022, 4:01 PM

Sara Pinto This is super cool. I will check this out. So excited to see these things actually existing.