musicMagpie’s famous Mount Recyclemore comes home to Stockport

Giant sculpture of Boris, Biden and fellow G7 leaders made from discarded electronics that appeared on Cornish beach to make Stockport Exchange its home for the summer 

A giant Mount Rushmore-style sculpture of the G7 leaders’ heads, made entirely of discarded electronics, that appeared on a beach in Cornwall during the G7 climate summit, is set to spend the summer in Stockport

Created by Stockport-based leading UK re-commerce expert, musicMagpie, alongside artist and founder of the Mutoid Waste Company, Joe Rush, the sculpture – named Mount Recyclemore – highlights the growing threat of e-waste and depicts world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, American President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The arresting installation, which is made from approximately 20,000 individual items of e-waste, will be in situ for eight weeks from July 21st at business hub Stockport Exchange and will form part of Stockport Business Improvement District’s Totally Stockport summer activities, which will include an art trail of 21 gigantic frogs, a food festival and Stockport’s first Enduro cycling festival.

Stockport Exchange is one of the region’s most connected and accessible business hubs, next to Stockport Railway Station. The £145m transformation, which has repurposed a key gateway site, is being delivered collaboratively by Stockport Council and national urban regenerators, Muse Developments, sits as part of council’s visionary Mayoral Development Corporation and centrally to its £1bn town centre regeneration programme.

Mount Recyclemore was created to raise awareness of the growing problem of e-waste, which is reported to be the fastest growing waste stream in the world. According to the UN, the current 53 million tonnes of e-waste generated annually worldwide will more than double by 2050.

Despite this growing environmental issue, musicMagpie’s own research* has found that an alarming four in five (79%) Brits do not know what e-waste is. When given the definition of e-waste, nearly a third (31%) didn’t believe it damaged the environment or were unsure, while 45% weren’t aware it impacted climate change.

Steve Oliver, founder and CEO, at musicMagpie, said:

“I’m delighted to be able to bring Mount Recyclemore back to our hometown of Stockport. The sculpture is simply incredible to look at and caused a worldwide stir when we unveiled it during the G7 summit in Cornwall. E-waste is a growing problem worldwide and its impact on the environment is significant. Our research has found that almost half of Brits currently do not recycle, resell, or donate their old tech to charity, with most opting to hold onto it instead where it ends up at the back of drawers collecting dust. Staggeringly, almost five million adults** even openly admit to throwing old tech in the bin at home.

“I’m hoping that not only will coming to see Mount Recyclemore provide an amazing day out for adults and children alike across this summer, but also help to better educate and empower people to make changes today. People can support a more sustainable, circular economy, by doing something as simple as trading in or recycling their tech, which will extend the life of those devices and their parts. Thanks to our customers, we are already able to give nearly half a million consumer technology products a second life each year.”

Cllr Sheila Bailey, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport, said:

“The council is delighted to see that musicMagpie has brought this amazing art installation to the heart of Stockport town centre highlighting, in a unique way, the cost to the environment of discarded electronic equipment.

“Climate change, and its impact on our planet is something none of us can ignore.  Stockport Council has published its Climate Change Strategy, Stockport CAN,  together with an extensive work plan aimed at encouraging everyone to play their part in helping Stockport reach Carbon Neutrality by 2038.  Everyone CAN make a difference.

“The council also has a scheme to recycle electronics equipment as well as other electricals musicMagpie doesn’t buy from residents. Stopfordians can visit Community Computers, which is a local recycling initiative that refurbishes old, unused devices to help people get online, as well as tackling e-waste and providing training in IT recycling for the long-term unemployed.

“You can drop off your old computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones at any library in Stockport or visit: www.communitycomputers.co.uk”

Tom Webber, Senior Development Surveyor at Muse Developments, said:

“Welcoming this iconic sculpture to Stockport Exchange is hugely significant for the development and the wider town centre. Climate Change is the topic on everyone’s lips and hosting Mount Recyclemore at Stockport Exchange will further put this location on the map and raise awareness of the extremely important issue of e-waste.

“Delivered collaboratively with our partners, Stockport Council, Stockport Exchange has repurposed a key gateway site in the town and created a vibrant and attractive new business hub, which is a fitting setting for such a prominent sculpture. We’re delighted that musicMagpie call Stockport Exchange home and chose the development as the ideal location for their growing business.”

Mike Lamont, Chair of Totally Stockport added:

“We are delighted to support Steve and the team at musicMagpie in bringing Mount Recyclemore to Stockport, highlighting the importance of reducing waste. Such a fantastic, innovative work of art will bring vast numbers of visitors into the town centre, complimenting the work of Totally Stockport and  showcasing the investment within the town centre.”

For more information on Mount Recyclemore and where it is located head to www.musicmagpie.co.uk/mountrecyclemore

Find out more about the council’s Climate Action Now strategy at https://www.stockport.gov.uk/can-climate-strategy-stockport/

* The research was commissioned by musicMagpie, through One Poll in a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults in May 2020

** 9% of UK adults tend to throw their old tech into their general waste or recycling bins at home. (52,673,000 x 0.09 = 4,746,039)