The first survey of Canadian consumers regarding their purchase and disposal of electronics reveals that 64 per cent of people replace their items for reasons other than the device breaking down or being obsolete. This behaviour points to the unrealized potential to reduce e-waste in Canada.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo conducted a survey of Canadian households to capture electronic use, replacement and disposal patterns for seven common products: mobile phones, laptops or tablets, desktop computers, televisions, refrigerators, microwaves and laundry appliances. The analysis showed that just these seven products will generate around 2.3 million tons of e-waste from 2025 to 2030, which could fill 18 CN Towers. The team's earlier research estimated that the amount Canada's discarded e-waste had already tripled in the past two decades and was on a steady rise.
Apart from precious metals - such as gold and silver - the e-waste also contains hazardous substances such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and acids, which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health if not properly managed.
"If we increased the lifetime of consumer electronics by repairing them, it would result in so many environmental benefits from lower production of new products, including less extraction of mineral resources and the resulting environmental impacts," said Dr. Komal Habib, professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. "We need legislation, such as Bill 91 in Ontario, that includes the right to repair for consumers and small business owners to help keep our products in use longer. Manufacturers would have to provide repair manuals, tools, software updates and replacement parts to consumers and independent repair shops."
Canadian consumers reportedly use their electronics for as long as or even longer than consumers in most other higher-income countries. The average lifetime for a phone in Canada is four and a half years. We tend to replace them not because they fail, but because they feel outdated, carrier plans encourage us to upgrade, and planned obsolescence limits software support, security and repairability. The researchers point out that one of the biggest hurdles in our take-make-waste economy is our strong preference for buying new products and our unwillingness or inability to repair, reuse and refurbish the devices we already have.
"Our findings can help guide better decision making in Canada," said Dr. Elham Mohammadi, a postdoctoral scholar in the Faculty of Environment. "Practical steps, such as supporting repair, promoting longer product lifespans, improving access to refurbished and second-hand goods, and strengthening consumer awareness can help steer us toward a more sustainable future.
The study How long do consumer electronics last in Canada? appears in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
