Betty the Shark swimming from St James Quarter to Edinburgh Climate Festival 2025
Hello Hello Hivians.
Don't you just love how the female of the species has the right to keep us waiting!
Quite right too because let's face it we would be nothing without females.
Today I am unveiling the She.
For those of you who read my Wednesday Walk post on Wednesday Typical Spring Weather in Scotland for our walk and were curious to see who She is, and I am looking at @papilloncharity @lizelle and @beckyroyal the reveal is now.
That post is the here and now...
Meet Betty the Shark
This was what faced me when I turned the corner onto Little King Street...
A fluffing big black shark who was called Betty!
What the fluff was a shark doing in the shopping centre!
There are a load of signs which tell you what this is all in aid of. Have you guessed what she is made of?
The sign at her tail explains much more about who she is and why she was created!
Betty was created by Edinburgh-based artist Jonathan Elders.
Betty is a life-sized (or colossal) sculpture of a basking shark.
I am sure you have seen that Betty is not your ordinary shark, she was constructed from electronic waste (e-waste). Loads of discarded computer keyboards and water cooler panels.
Betty the Shark is an innovative piece of art activism
Betty was first displayed at the Edinburgh Science Festival in 2019 in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland as part of an installation called "Devouring Technology." You can see that is highlighted in the sign I showed previously.
Why was Betty portrayed as a basking shark?
The picture above is the perfect answer...
The basking shark which is native to Scottish waters, was chosen because it's a large creature that is constantly consuming. Yep just like us humans and our society's consumption of technology.
Inside Betty's mouth, there is footage displayed showing the often unregulated and hazardous handling of e-waste in other countries. More about this later in the post.
She has since toured various locations, including Ocean Terminal in Leith (in response to COP26), Westside Plaza in Edinburgh, Thistles shopping centre in Stirling, and St. Enoch Centre in Glasgow.
I think you know where she is going if you look at the sign on the picture!
Her appearances are often linked to promoting recycling, proper e-waste management, and broader climate action.
Betty the Shark was made using discarded electronic waste, collected by CCL. North.
CCL. North
These guys are a company based in Irvine which process and recycle WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment).
It really is quite fascinating when you dig into it.
We Leave No Trace.
Protecting your data and protecting the environment. We specialise in secure recycling and data destruction of IT and WEEE ensuring zero waste to landfill and recovering critical materials for reuse.
WEEE Recycling
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide. CCL (North) Ltd. is proud to offer the most comprehensive WEEE recycling service in the UK, allowing our customers to meet their legal obligations to properly dispose of WEEE equipment, whilst going far beyond minimum required standards for environmental protection.
Betty was recently located at Edinburgh's St James Quarter, which is where we are looking at her now.
She will be there for about another three weeks.
Betty is the perfect metaphor for our appetite for the latest tech, consuming without thinking about the consequences.
I know I consume less and less tech every year.
What about you?
Not all e-waste is handled ethically or the way CCL process it.
Much of it is sent to countries where the handling of it is less regulated. If you look in Betty's mouth, you can see footage of a worker in Coté d'ivoire who is processing European e-Waste with no protective equipment and only basic tools
She is scheduled to swim over to the Edinburgh Meadows for the Edinburgh Climate Festival on June 28th, 2025.
The festival aims to ignite community conversation on climate-related issues.
I am not sure if we are free but I shall try to attend.
At this point we bade our goodbyes, Betty flexed her tail ...
... and showed me the path she would take to get to The Meadows in time.
So long Betty, until we meet again!
Reference Information
Edinburgh Climate Festival Saturday, 28th June @ The Meadows, Edinburgh , note they are needing volunteers and you can apply through the facebook page
Edinburgh Climate Festival Facebook page
Thanks so much for popping in and may you have a fluffing awesome June.
All images and ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated.
@tengolotodo June 1st 2025
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I never imagined that the she would be a freaking shark 😂😂😂
The idealogy behind this is quite innovative. A basking shark made out of e-wastes, very cool.
I also think that I consume less tech too 😂😂
This was a great post to read. I learnt new things which I'll be sharing with others too.
Happy new month boss boss.
Hehe I got ya!
But seriously Betty is a great piece of art and I loved how so many kids stopped and read the signs, and got their parents to read as well.
I thought you could share it with your kids, do you talk about things like that at school now?
Yes we still do as part of keeping up with the tech world and eco-friendliness 😂
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Betty is really cool, just like basking sharks! What an innovative way to deal with all the electronics waste material. Although I might have ripped out the circuit boards to extract the small amounts of gold first! lol What a cool piece of art! Thanks for sharing!
Yes just like a basking shark she is. It is a fun way to educate people.
It is shocking though what waste the west just ships to developing countries to scrap and recycle etc.
Betty is a cracking piece of art I agree :)
We have a special company we use that comes to get our ewaste and takes care of it properly, then sends us documents ensuring it has been done right.
Yeah that is what CCL North do and most businesses here do something similar too. On a non business level some of the supermarkets/DIY stores have dropoff points where you can put your ewaste and they get rid of it for you.
I still see far too many people just throw it into the general rubbish bins!
We tend to get a lot of stuff, so about two or three times a year I call them up and they send a truck to pick up the pallets of old equipment and take it away. They even give us certifications that they wiped all the drives and stuff for data security.
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Awesome thanks guys and here is to an amazing June for everyone on Hive.
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Whoa, Betty's so cool, those keyboard are just 😲. When looking from afar, I can't tell that it was made in a used keyboards. It looks cool too from a far. The creators really cool for creating her like that and with a beautiful purpose. ✨💃
Yeah when I first saw her, I was wtf is that! Only when I got closer did I see the keyboards.
Betty is a great idea and yea the creator did a great job, she is a brilliant piece of art with a purpose!
🎉🎉🥳 Congratulations 🥳🎊🎊
Your post has just been curated and upvoted by Ecency
keep up the good work
so many keyboards .. but ...
DID you FIND the ANY key ??
Join us on the Ecency Discord
lol keyboard overload and all keys were just Blurry keys!
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That's great to see Buzzy thank you, and I will see if I can make it a PUM!
Thank you for introducing us to Betty, she's truly amazing. I love the message she'll be sharing when she lands at the festival, and hope you get to go, Ed!
It's just awful how much e-waste there is in the world.
Yes I love the message she is carrying. It was good to see people stop and read all about her Lizzie. Hopefully people will think twice about what they throw out in the trash!
It was really bad when I worked at the municipality. When there was budget for new computers or whatever electronics, the 'old' ones, in perfect order, would get taken away to stores. We never learned what happened to them! Two of my workmates went there once to drop off stuff left behind. They were so angry when they saw good quality desks and computers lying in an open area with the rain pelting down! Hopefully the powers that be have come to their senses, at least donate stuff to poorer communities 🤷♀️
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Thanks for this very informative post, @tengolotodo ! I had a fun time reading this,and it really is quite amazing how they've created Betty out of our e-wastes!😮
Glad you read it @purplefreelancer and saw what Betty stands for.
I see tech as part of daily life, but this really makes me think about where all our old gadgets end up. Betty’s kinda like a reminder that we need to be smarter about e-waste and not just keep upgrading without thinking.
Exactly so whenever you want a new phone on new anything, you can think of Betty, and go .. What would Betty say!
Good luck with your exam results Belle
Woah! Amazing art! ✨ I'm totally surprised to see that Betty was actually made of keyboards and other e-wastes 😱 She is a great portrayal of how the society consumes technology nowadays 💖
Exactly, Betty is amazing art :)
So now when you want a new phone or new anything, you can think of Betty, and go .. What would Betty say!
A cool design and a powerful message. I think it was really clever to put the footage of the worker's feet in the mouth, as this is often where the consumption of technology ultimately ends up. I live in Viet Nam now, and I know of a few technology recycling places, where you will see young guys breaking apart computers and appliances to strip them of parts. It is kinda cool to see what is left over when everything of perceived value has been taken away, and to wonder about the final fate of what remains.
Yeah she is cool and has a very powerful message. I was happy to see wee kids reading the signs and getting their parents to read them too.
Hope those guys don't inhale any fumes or anything when they are removing the exotic metals.
They don't seem to have any protective equipment on while they work, but at least they are outside in the open air. I am also not looking so closely at what they are doing, perhaps they have a different area where they extract the exotic stuff more carefully.
Hi, Thank you for sharing, I have been learning from you in ASEAN Hive ! Best Regards,
Sreymom
Hope you took the message onboard.
Wow! Betty the Shark is such a brilliant symbol. Made from e-waste, swimming through a shopping center, that’s one way to make a statement! It really hits home how much tech we consume without thinking about where it ends up. Seeing that footage inside her mouth must be tough but so important.
Hi Gretel, hopefully people will see her and now whenever they want a new phone or new anything, they can think of Betty, and go .. What would Betty say!
Hi @tengolotodo, probably something like, Think before you tech! Or upgrade your mindset, not your device!😅 She’s the perfect reminder that cool doesn’t have to mean new.😀
This was totally unexpected, and I think that Betty needs to go and see a dentist, to ask for plastics. (That's what we call dentures) !LOL
A big surprise, and a great way to make people aware of e-waste recycling.
Btw. We have an e-waste recycling company close by, and all of our old electronic stuff goes there. Maybe they can also do something like this to promote e-waste recycling. We are close to the sea in any case.
A great post Ed, and we hope that you will have a good new week.
!BEER
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haha Betty does need plastics! What a great name for dentures, I never knew that.
Am glad you liked it Zac.
We have a couple of big shops here where you can hand in your unwanted electronic equipment and they discard it properly. Although far too many people still put batteries, old electronics etc in a normal trash bin.
Well I am glad you liked seeing who Betty was and that you hadn't guessed before hand hehe.
Would be cool if more places had their own versions of Betty.
Thanks and enjoy your week too :)
Rows and rows of plastics in Betty's case :)
I still don't get it as surely the general public knows that batteries and other electronics poisons the landfills. But people are lazy, and it's more convenient to just out it into a bin. We have a great system here, as we receive free bags from the municipality, one for paper recycling, another one for cans recycling, and one for general waste. But still people don't care as they simply dump everything in the same bin.
I doubt if anyone could guess what Betty was, and it was a good puzzle !LOL
We are in the whaling season here, and perhaps I can convince someone to make a tin whale with a similar message. 🙏
Cheers and be well.
!BEER
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Although I try not to throw away e-waste, I always give it away to workshops for reuse, I know that we live in a world where tons of e-waste is being produced daily. We are our own worst enemy in pollution. A threat. I like and I am relieved that there are this kind of campaigns, that people become aware. It will be good if you can go to the festival and bring here the information you get. Shark hug, Ed 🦈🦈
Well I know that you are sensible Nancy. We too try to give to places that either reuse it or dispose of it properly.
Oh that is so very true! Not just in pollution, but many other things too.
A big June shark hug for you 🦈🤗
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Feels sad while reading. All those tech that we cannot dispose of properly after using. 🙁
We can dispose of it properly though. We just need to be responsible with what we do.
wow! You won’t believe what I just saw. I was sitting there, scrolling through my news feed, minding my own business, and BAM! There was this giant shark right in front of me. Not a real one, thankfully, but still... a shark! And the craziest part? It was made entirely out of discarded computer keyboards? It’s truly an amazing sight. Kudos to the artist. I wonder how long it took to pull off a project like this. Thank you for showing me such an invention!
What a fantastic art that is full of creativity! I was amazed. Those used keyboards serves as a purpose. Hello Betty, that is so cool!
Yeah Betty is cool and tells a message we should all be taking action about.
Betty the shark keyboard wrapped she. I am inspired by her. Good thing there is this shark where you could throw your old nonfunctional keyboard. Bravo to Edinburgh Climate Festival!
We have one here from the 90s.
Oh yes that plastic colour in the old keyboards, lol I have used enough of them in my lifetime 🤣
We are keeping it. Maybe I'm going to make a corner for a display of 90s 😆
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