Unmaking Electronic Waste

Jasmine Lu

doi:10.1145/3674505

Unmaking Electronic Waste

2024-12-06

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DOI：10.1145/3674505

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Abstract

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The proliferation of new technologies has led to a proliferation of unwanted electronic devices. E-waste is the largest-growing consumer waste-stream worldwide, but also an issue often ignored. In fact, HCI primarily focuses on designing and understanding device interactions during one segment of their lifecycles-while users use them. Researchers overlook a significant space-when devices are no longer useful to the user, such as after breakdown or obsolescence. We argue that HCI can learn from experts who upcycle e-waste and give it second lives in electronics projects, art projects, educational workshops, and more. To acquire and translate this knowledge to HCI, we interviewed experts who unmake e-waste. We explore their practices through the lens of unmaking both when devices are physically unmade and when the perception of e-waste is unmade once waste becomes, once again, useful. Last, we synthesize findings into takeaways for how HCI can engage with the issue of e-waste.

Keywords:

Electronic waste

unmaking

reuse

upcycling

hardware

Unmaking Electronic Waste

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