When it comes to purchasing a new computer, the last thing anyone across the globe is thinking is “where can I recycle my old one.” While we all want the latest and greatest new gadgets on the market, one man is more concerned with what you may be doing with your previous PC or laptop than which one you are about to purchase. That man is Benjamin Von Wong.

One person can make a difference

To say Benjamin Von Wong is dedicated to his craft is an understatement of epic proportions. Whatever this 31-year-old Toronto, Canada native puts his mind to, he gives 100 percent, and then some.

From his incredible photography to his dedication to doing the best he can to help preserve Mother Earth, Von Wong is relentless.

One great example is how he used social media to raise over $2M USD for Sanfillippo Syndrom sufferer, Eliza O'Neill - which was the highest ranking GoFundMe Campaign of all time. Believe it or not, something as great as that may be just the tip of the iceberg for Von Wong. Now he is using his incredible artistic abilities to shed light on how important it is to recycle your electronic waste.

Rethink, Recycle, Revive

Sure it sounds boring, but let’s talk recycling. As indicated on VonWong.com, 142,000 computers are thrown away in the United States each day. That number is probably quite a bit higher now since that statistic is from 2010, practically eons ago in the technology world.

Electronic waste is the fastest growing municipal waste stream in the world, and Von Wong wants to do something about it.

In 2017, Von Wong learned that Dell had the world’s largest global recycling program. This set off an urge inside him to learn more on the subject. His persistence eventually led him to meet Sarah Gilliam, a Corporate Social Responsibility team member at Dell.

While Gilliam explained that the good news is that Dell offers free e-waste recycling in almost 80 different countries, the bad news is it was hardly ever taken advantage of.

This is where Benjamin comes in. Determined to get people talking about this huge problem and show how old computer parts can be recycled to make new ones, Von Wong created some really cool artwork out of computer parts to demonstrate just how much e-waste is taking place.

Less than 15 percent of e-waste is actually recycled, while the rest ends up in a landfill. That is an insane number when you consider just how many devices are out there these days.

As Von Wong says in his video “How many lives do our electronics have?” With our help, that number could, and should, be more than one.

If you want to learn more about how you can make a difference, check out rethinkandrecycle.com. You also have a chance to win several of the prints used in Von Wong's YouTube video as well!
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