Analog Recycling: Music and the Battle Against E-Waste

Abstract

A seemingly infinite amount of trash is sent to landfills every day, much of which could be put to better use. I aim to dive into the issue of irresponsible waste disposal practices and provide some creative solutions that anyone can adopt in order to decrease their ecological footprint as well as satisfy a creative outlet. My primary focus will be on electronic waste and their potential applications in DIY electronic instruments, with an end goal of designing and constructing a series of playable instruments including as guitars, theremin, analog tape looper effect, and audio effect module. The goal of this project is to reach and convince anyone with a creative spirit to try their own spin on repurposing old electronics into instruments and hopefully spread the message further, ideally lessening the amount of electronic waste that ends up poisoning our earth in a landfill.