Take-Apart Events and E-Waste

Trashmagination Creative Reuse Podcast

When was the last time you took apart something that was broken – either to fix it or just to be curious? There are many benefits to taking apart broken electronics and machines. You might actually fix it (if you take it apart slowly and photograph how it looks step-by-step). It will make it easier to recycle when the metal, plastic, rubber and other components are separated. And if you have a young person in the house, you might inspire them to take on a career in engineering or design. In today’s podcast, get tips on how to run a successful take-apart event – either at home or in your community.

Tips on Running a Successful Take-Apart Event

Get more details by listening to the podcast or downloading the show notes for this episode.

1. 1. Collect items with screws – To download a list of recommended items for take-apart events, see below.
   2. Avoid glass, blades and dust – Remove hard drives before the event to ensure data protection. Some events offer safety glasses and gloves.
   3. Protect the workspace – Establish boundaries where people should take things apart with tape or a rope. Sweep and vacuum afterwards. Use old furniture or cover tables.
   4. Gather screwdrivers and pliers – Especially pointy-nosed pliers, locking pliers and extra tiny screwdrivers from computer toolkits. A collection of Allen wrenches helps too.
   5. Take-apart is a gentle activity – Remind participants not to bash things. Do not offer hammers.
   6. Consider hosting girls-only events – Where I live in northern Virginia, there is a program called Girls Excelling in Math and Science or GEMS that hosts take-apart events for girls.
   7. Get take-apart items from friends – Be careful when asking for donations. People might think you will permanently gather items and they might dump items on your door step after the event. Instead, spread the word with contacts who understand this is a short-term idea.
   8. Have a storage plan – Do you have a place to store the donated items before the event? Do you have an e-waste recycling company ready to take the items afterwards?
   9. Take photos of deconstructed items – To engage photography enthusiasts, consider setting up an area where you can lay out all the components of an item & take a photo. For inspiration, check out the book Things Come Apart by Todd McLellan.
   10. Fix things – Participants could take things apart in order to fix them like the story of my dad’s snowblower. There is a concept called Fixer’s Collectives where people bring broken items to a community event to learn how to fix them.
   11. Offer suggestions of what people can make – Some events offer glue guns or other tools so people can make art. At the start of the event, make it clear whether people can take things home. I gathered project ideas on a Pinterest board that you could share at the take-apart event to give ideas of what to look for when they are deconstructing.
   12. Help participants process what they are learning – I would love to host an event where I gather observations from participants about what they are learning. What is surprising about what’s inside these devices? What trends do they see in how things are made, comparing older and newer devices?

Items My Family Took Apart

Taking apart our broken treadmill

Taking apart a mattress and box spring

Artists Who Incorporate E-Waste in Their Work

• Julie Alice Chappell – insects from computer components
• Gabriel DiShaw – Sneakers from circuit boards
• Marcele Godoy – She braids necklaces from computer cords
• Peter McFarlane – landscapes on circuit boards (scrapscapes), fake dinosaur fossils embedded in circuit boards
• Andreea Strete – Tiny Robots encased in resin as lockets
• Leonardo Ulian – mandalas from computer parts

What to Gather for Take-Apart Events and What to Avoid

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Great Resources on Take-Apart Events

1. 1. • Presentation by Leanne Mobley, a librarian from Florida – she organized an event called Wreck the Library.
      • Fixer’s Collectives – community events where you bring broken items and learn how to fix them
      • Toy Take-Apart Events at the Exploratorium in San Fransisco/li>
      • “Making By Breaking: Why Taking Things Apart is Essential to Making Them Work,” by David Brenner – May 21, 2015
      • “Permission to Play: Let’s Make Fixing Things Cool Again,” by Kyle Wiens – May 2, 2013

Videos

Take-Apart Camps at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame

Take It Apart! event at Brooks Library in Brattleboro, Vermont

Taking Apart a Treadmill

Show Details

1. • Script for this podcast episode about creative reuse of e-waste and hosting take-apart events (not a transcript but gives the main ideas)
   • The Trashmagination podcast theme music is Kitchen from the Marian Circle Drum Brigade.