The problem with tossing your electronics in the trash

Mar 6

A collection of discarded mobile phones destined for recycling. Photo by Fairphone / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz

Canadians are tossing out electronics faster than ever — many before they break — a trend researchers say will double the country’s e-waste by the end of the decade.

A new study from the University of Waterloo shows Canada will generate about 2.3 million tonnes of electronic waste between 2025 and 2030 from just seven common household products.

The growing stream of discarded electronics will add pressure on municipalities already struggling to manage waste.

Municipalities in Ontario are racing to expand landfill capacity or find new disposal sites, a process that can take years and often faces strong local opposition, while a right-to-repair law that could mitigate the problem is moving through the Ontario legislature with an uncertain future.

The findings highlight a growing environmental challenge driven largely by consumer behaviour, particularly the tendency to replace devices that are still working.

Researchers examined how Canadians buy, use and dispose of electronics such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets, desktop computers, televisions, refrigerators, microwaves and laundry appliances.

The study surveyed about 800 households across nine provinces to understand how long these devices last and why people replace them.

The results show lifespans vary widely. Mobile phones have the shortest average lifespan at about 4.5 years, while laundry appliances last the longest at about 9.7 years.

Yet many devices are replaced even when they still function. About 65 per cent of electronics are replaced for reasons other than complete failure, including upgrades or minor problems such as battery issues or cracked screens. In some cases, the old devices are traded in or passed on, but many still end up discarded as waste.

The study also found 72 per cent of electronics are purchased brand new, while only five per cent are bought second-hand.

“That shows there is a huge unrealized opportunity to reduce e-waste,” said Komal Habib, a professor in the faculty of environment at the University of Waterloo and one of the study’s authors.

Habib said modern consumer culture plays a major role in the trend. She describes today’s economy as a “take-make-waste” system where raw materials are extracted, turned into products and then discarded relatively quickly.

“That is the reality of a linear economy,” she said, referring to a system in which people buy a product, use it and then throw it away — the opposite of a “circular economy” that plans for the entire lifetime of a product, including its disposal and reuse.

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