Statistics Canada Releases Data on Household Textile and E-Waste Disposal in Canada

Connector February 2022

Repair or Replace: What are Canadians doing with their old cell phones and computers?

Ever wondered what Canadians are doing with their old cell phones and computers? When an electronic device, such as a cell phone or computer, becomes damaged or reaches the end of its useful life, users are faced with the question of whether to repair the device or replace it.

Repairing damaged cell phones and computers has become increasingly challenging in recent years as devices have become smaller and more complex in nature. The inability to easily repair devices like cell phones means that consumers are left with few options other than to replace them with new ones, resulting in the old devices needing to be disposed of.

Data from Statistics Canada suggests that Canadian households are retaining their cell phones and computers longer in recent years than they were a decade ago, as evidenced by a decrease in the proportion of households having one of these devices to dispose of while ownership levels have remained fairly steady.

Check out the recently released statistics from Statistics Canada on whether Canadians are looking to repair or replace their old cell phones and computers.

English Link: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/16-002-x/2022001/article/00001-eng.pdf?st=lrPgX5Ll

French Link: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/fr/pub/16-002-x/2022001/article/00001-fra.pdf?st=K4ReMkqT


Unravelling the Story About Household Textile and E-Waste Disposal in Canada

Statistics Canada also released some interesting data, “Unravelling the story about household textile and e-waste disposal in Canada”. 

A few highlights:

  • In 2019, 63% of Canadians had textiles to dispose of with 21% heading to a depot or drop-off centre, 21% tossing textiles in the trash and 80% choosing the donation route. 
  • In 2018, 58,895 tonnes of textile waste were diverted from going to landfills and incinerators. Households accounted for 58,407 tonnes.
  • In 2019, 43% of households reported they had e-waste to dispose of and most of it was sent to a depot or drop-off centre.

English Link: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2022015-eng.pdf

French Link: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/fr/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2022015-fra.pdf?st=ZXR-VlEx

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