E-waste (electronic waste) is a huge and rapidly growing problem in landfill due to the rapid rate at which technology in computers is being superseded, and the old technology simply thrown away. It is estimated that the US produces 50 million tons of e-waste each year, including 30 million computers. One of the issues with e-waste is the amount of heavy metals it pollutes landfill with. In the US 70% of heavy metals in landfill come from e-waste. The Environmental Protection agency estimates that only 15-20% of e-waste is recycled. This is the statistic I set out to change.
When given this brief the problem of e-waste quickly came to mind as an area that could be interesting to look into more. When I actually began to pull apart discarded computers I could not help but notice the interesting colour and patterns on the mother board and circuit boards, I was immediately drawn to their aesthetic appeal. I also thought that it would be quite ironic to make something for a computer out e-waste. And this was where my initial concept was born, to turn mother boards and circuit boards into a geek chic laptop case.
My initial idea was mould the boards into the shape to fit around the laptop, set them in resin and join the two sides with a zip around the middle. This had a few issues. First the issue of resin, it is not only dangerous to use but also harmful to the environment, which defeated the intensions of the brief. The second being that the boards are made out of a number of laminated layers, which really didn’t work in terms of heat moulding, as well as the fact they contain flame retardants.
I changed my concept so that the boards where fastened together with very small rivets. They where coated on the outside with a clear lacquer to protect the user from any heavy metals left, and this inside padded with foam and felt to protect the laptop. The handles are made out of reclaimed seatbelts and the whole thing held together by hand sewing in a zip and heavy duty fabric. The resulting product being a protective laptop case for both the laptop and the environment. This specific prototype designed to fit the 13” MacBook Pro.
OMGOSH!! so you're the one who did this!!! Haha I saw this and I was like WOW i wonder who did this! This is so awesome Melinda, its very creative, i could never think of making an e-waste item into something used for eletronics. I would definately buy this because it has a sort of has like this technological look to it that suits the laptop, espcially macbooks. I don't think theres any way to improve it! Awesome job melinda!
ReplyDeleteThe appearance of this product was interesting and drew my attention. The finish of the laptop case was very impressive and the fact that e waste components were used to create a product for electronics added another layer of meaning to your design. Well done Melinda
ReplyDeleteYeah Mel! Great looking product, functional and very creative in the concept of the idea.
ReplyDeleteSeeing a 'nerd' may buy this, the addition of acouple of extra pockets might appeal to that consumer abit more?
The abilty to have different cases with the same concept as this, but different sizes - creating a range leads to me thinking it could be a commercial prospect.
Amazing! when i first heard your idea, i was already impressed, and to see the idea brought to life was really cool, the detail and thought you put into making it safe and using seat belt to make the carry holder comfortable in the hand was a great idea. The best thing about this idea is that there wouldnt be much waste after making one, so you really did a green upcycling project!
ReplyDeleteI would be great to see different sizes being made, and the only reservation i have about this idea is the weight of it, as cool as a laptop bag goes, i wouldn't want one if it makes the laptop heavier to carry.
But overall, great work!
Its good to see you are re-using e-waste, at the rate technology is moving computers, laptops and other high tech products are being thrown out. I like how the product turned out its well made and utilising the strength of seatbelts was clever. I also like how the boards are not symetrical providing a unique aesthetic look.
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