Canada's electronic waste has more than tripled in 20 years, study finds

Wires and electronic e-waste is pictured at the North Vancouver, recycle depot, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward

A new study from researchers at the University of Waterloo suggests the amount of electronic waste in Canada has more than tripled in the last 20 years.

Their study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, suggests that e-waste is “steadily growing” in Canada. The researchers say close to a million tonnes of e-waste was generated in Canada in 2020, and less than 20 per cent of that was collected and recycled.

According to the authors, this amount of e-waste is equivalent to “filling the CN tower 110 times”.

The researchers say the purpose of the study was to understand the life-cycle, from sale to disposal, of electronic items in Canada, such as computers, cellphones, toys, refrigerators and washing machines.

According to the study, the amount of e-waste generated per person has increased from 8.3 kilograms in 2000 to 25.3 kg in 2020,  and researchers estimate it will increase again in the near future.

They say they believe that the growth of e-waste is attributed to consumer habits, as well as the increases in the number of households.

“This study provides useful insights to policymakers for setting up targets for e-waste reduction and recycling to recover valuable resources from e-waste,” Komal Habib, a professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, said in a news release published Monday. “E-waste could also help to create a secondary supply chain of critical materials, reducing the risks of potential supply disruptions.”

The study looked at e-waste from 198 product types from 1971 to 2030 and estimated that e-waste will increase to 1.2 million tonnes by 2030 in Canada.

Globally, the amount of e-waste generated annually is estimated to be 2.5 million tonnes, and will increase up to 74.7 million tonnes by 2030, according to the study.

Researchers suggest that more attention should be given to improving repair, refurbishment and product life extension opportunities rather than focusing solely on recycling and material recovery.

“The findings will be beneficial for stakeholders to explore possible material and revenue generation opportunities from e-waste,” added Habib. “For example, it can help electronic manufacturers and recyclers to understand the potential for urban mining, plan for future extractions of critical materials, and identify the need for safe handling of any hazardous materials.”

 

 Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.