In an age where semiconductors and lithium have emerged as shapers of economies, international relations and diplomacy, waste is no longer just a byproduct; it is an untapped reservoir of value. For India, the world’s third-largest generator of electronic waste, e-waste is rapidly evolving from an environmental hazard into a strategic asset. While this is a welcome approach, the shift from dump to dividend requires efforts beyond merely clean-up. It demands a new national mindset.
The Past: Informality, Hazard, and Blind Spots
Until recently, India’s e-waste ecosystem was largely informal. Thousands of unregulated workers, largely women and children, handled discarded electronics under dangerous conditions. Burning wires to recover copper, dismantling circuit boards without gloves, and leaching metals with acids were standard practices. Regulation was minimal. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, introduced in 2011 and updated in 2016, aimed to formalize producer responsibility, but weak enforcement, limited awareness, and ineffective economic incentives led to less than encouraging outcomes. To the informal sector’s credit, it did make efforts to keep e-waste volumes in check and prevent the waste from piling up, but at the cost of environmental degradation and health crises. Further, the inefficient processes employed squandered valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, gold, and rare earths.
The Present: Policy Shifts, Pilot Projects, and Emerging Models
India’s e-waste generation increased from 1.01 million metric tonnes (MT) in 2019–20 to 1.751 million MT in 2023–24, marking a 72.54% rise over five years. Smartphones, computers, and EV batteries dominate the list of discarded items, and with over 800 million smartphone users and an increasing number of EVs (in FY 2023–24, India registered 1.68 million EVs, reflecting a 42.06% increase compared to the previous fiscal year), this trend is far from peaking.
What is changing however, is the way waste is viewed. The government has launched initiatives such as:
- National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM): With an outlay of ₹34,300 crore, the mission promotes mineral recovery and urban mining.
- Pilot recycling and recovery projects by PSUs and private players.
- Emergence of Repair Cafés, buyback schemes, and resale platforms in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Though presently small scale, these represent a major shift in approach and the will to make sincere efforts towards e-waste management.
Reports suggest that close to 90% of e-waste collection and approximately 70% of recycling is done by the informal sector in India. But companies like RLG Systems India and GreenLine Mobility are pushing circular models, combining logistics, recycling, and digital tracking to close the loop.
The Future: Circularity, Mineral Sovereignty, and Urban Mining
The future lies in recognizing e-waste as urban ore. A tonne of smartphone scrap contains more gold than a tonne of gold ore. Cobalt, lithium, and nickel from discarded EV batteries can sustain India’s domestic supply chains, reducing dependence on imports from politically volatile regions.
As global mineral wars intensify, India must exploit urban mining. NCMM aims to recover critical minerals not only from fresh extraction but also from tailings, fly ash, and black mass. Mineral processing parks, streamlined customs for recyclables, and recycling-linked incentives are in the pipeline.
However, large-scale success depends on addressing key gaps:
- Formalizing the informal sector: Integrating informal workers with skilling and certification, similar to Skill Council for Green Jobs.
- Infrastructure readiness: Collection, sorting, and tracking systems must scale beyond metros.
- Public awareness: Behavioural change is vital; most households still discard e-waste with regular trash.
- Import reduction: Recycling could reduce India’s reliance on imports (e.g., cobalt from Congo, lithium from China), and circular models could position India as a leader, but this depends on overcoming infrastructure and policy gaps.
Cross-Sectoral Insight: Lessons from Freight Decarbonisation
India’s freight decarbonisation strategy offers valuable lessons. There, policy blends economic viability (cost-saving EV trucks) with environmental targets (zero-emission logistics). Similarly, e-waste policy must integrate mineral strategy with ecological reform. For instance, just as PM Gati Shakti pushes multimodal freight corridors, e-waste needs interconnected dismantling, logistics, and refining hubs.
Conclusion: From Risk to Resource
India’s electronic discards are no longer trash. They are significant sources of minerals, jobs, and innovation. With the right intention, investment, public participation, and joint effort, India can not only solve its waste crisis but also position itself as a key player in the circular electronics and critical mineral recovery domain. India’s potential to lead, however, would greatly depend on scaling infrastructure, enforcing policies, and shaping consumer behaviour.
What was traditionally considered waste would define value in the future, and the future would belong to those who have the capability to recognize value in what others perceive as waste. India must lead that vision—not as an afterthought, but as strategic policy.
(Authored by Radhika Kalia, MD, RLG Systems India Pvt. Ltd.)
