How long do consumer electronics last in Canada?

Rapid growth in global electronic waste generation has emerged as a critical global challenge with far-reaching environmental and public-health implications. Understanding consumer behaviours that influence the purchase, use, and disposal of electronic products is essential in addressing this issue. In Canada, consumer behaviour surrounding the use, replacement, and end-of-life management of electronic products remains insufficiently explored. This study addresses this gap, focusing on seven product categories: mobile phones, laptops/tablets, desktop computers, televisions, refrigerators, microwaves, and laundry appliances. Data are collected from 800 households across 9 provinces in Canada to capture their purchase, use, and disposal patterns. The Weibull distribution model is applied to analyze dynamic lifetimes and estimate the flow of end-of-life products. The findings indicate that phones have the shortest average lifetime, at approximately 4.5 years, whereas laundry appliances have the longest, at around 9.7 years. Among the seven product categories, phones (β = 1.68) exhibit the strongest aging or obsolescence effect, indicating a faster increase in replacement risk over time. The analysis shows that approximately 72% of the products are acquired brand-new, and 65% are replaced for reasons other than complete functional failure. Across the seven categories, around 2.3 million tonnes of e-waste are estimated to be generated from 2025 to 2030. The results reveal substantial unrealized potential to reduce e-waste in Canada and point to opportunities to advance circular-economy outcomes through interventions such as repair and maintenance incentives, greater availability and acceptance of refurbished and second-hand products, standardized labeling, as well as targeted consumer-awareness initiatives. • Models consumer electronics lifetime curves in Canada using a Weibull distribution. • Lifetimes vary widely, from phones (4.5 years) to laundry appliances (9.7 years). • Most consumers purchase electronics new (72%), with limited second-hand uptake (5%). • Replacements are driven by failures (36%), upgrades (22%), and minor issues (20%). • Longer use than reported globally coexists with continued new purchases and upgrades.