Have you ever wondered what happens to laptops that get discarded after they are no longer in use?
On 13 May 2022, the impressive amount of 2,910 laptops were put together in a long, curvy line on the floor of Technology Recyclers’ headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA to attempt the Guinness World Records title for most laptops toppled in a domino fashion.
Technology Recyclers is a computer and electronics recycling company that decided to attempt this world record title as a fun way to highlight the importance of what they do.
According to the UN environment programme, as much as 50 million tonnes of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) a year is produced every year, weighing more than all of the commercial airliners ever made, and only 20% of this is formally recycled.
It is this type of saddening data that gave Technology Recyclers the idea and the motivation to attempt a Guinness World Records title, promoting the importance of certified ethical recycling and to try to increase their impact through volume of e-waste recycled.
The thousands of laptops used to break this record were donated by businesses, organizations and individuals from community in the area of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
"We had a wonderful time planning and executing this event. The day brought our employees deeper into our story, and understanding the importance of what we do. We are now going to utilize the pictures, videos and stories to grow the impact in Indiana and the importance of computer and electronics recycling everywhere. We are the Official sponsors of tomorrow." - Dale Needleman, Partner at Technology Recyclers
Yet, no world record is easily achieved, and Technology Recyclers’ title was no exception.
For example, one of the big challenges that the team faced was deciding how many laptops were enough to attempt the title.
While the record to break was 752, Technology Recyclers’ team became so passionate with the project that they wanted to continue setting laptops up. As the laptops started to take a lot of space and time, the team realized that they needed to limit the fun.
In addition, with thousands of laptops perfectly set up accidents can happen, and right before the attempt some sections of the line started to fall before the start of the event. However, every challenge got sorted out and the event resulted in a successful Guinness World Records title attempt.
"We learned while setting them up not all laptops stand up the same, and we had a few unplanned starts," said Needleman.
"It was fun for everyone to see how excited our team members got as the event got closer, and certainly during the attempt. Many people commented that they had never witnessed a world record, and thought it was pretty cool!"
Technology Recyclers’ 2,910 laptops toppled in a domino fashion surpassed the previous record of 752 achieved by Jens Demol and Out of Use NV (both Belgium) in Beringen, Belgium, on 7 November 2021.
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