E-Waste Collection Faces Gaps as Government Sets Sights on Recycling for Precious Metals

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy; Environment

Context

• As India pushes itself forward for local electronics manufacturing, from semiconductor fabs to the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), e-waste recycling threatens to undercut the progress.

About e-Waste in India

• E-waste — discarded electronic and electrical equipment — contains valuable materials such as copper, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, lithium, gold, and rare earth elements (REEs).
• India generated an estimated 4.17 million metric tonnes of e-waste in 2022, but only about one-third of this was processed through formal channels.
  • It is driven by increased use of electronics, rapid obsolescence, and consumer upgrades.

• According to TRAI, India has over 93.9 crore mobile broadband connections, but accounts for only about 4% of global electronics consumption.

Gaps in Collection and Recycling

• A 2023 report by the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association highlights that e-waste recycling is largely dominated by the informal sector, which handles up to 90–95% of e-waste using unsafe methods such as open burning and acid leaching.
• Key Challenges:
  • Low formal collection (less than 10%) and recycling rates;
  • Health hazards for informal workers exposed to toxic substances;
  • Traceability issues in recovered materials, leading to leakage back into informal streams;
  • Fake reporting and malpractices in the EPR system — such as ‘paper trading’ of recycling credits — have raised concerns over credibility.
  • Lack of standardized inventory systems and third-party audits.

Policy and Industry Response

• E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022: These rules aim to ensure environmentally sound management of e-waste, and strengthen the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime, requiring manufacturers, producers, refurbishers, and recyclers to register on the CPCB portal. Key provisions include:
  • Environmental compensation for violations;
  • Verification and audit mechanisms;
  • Circular economy promotion through scientific recycling.
• Formal Recycling Infrastructure (February 2025): India has 322 registered recyclers with a processing capacity of over 22 lakh metric tonnes per year.
  • 72 registered refurbishers with a capacity of 92,000 metric tonnes per year.
• Public Awareness and Education: MeitY, in collaboration with industry bodies like MAIT and NASSCOM, has launched awareness campaigns across 31 states/UTs.
• Innovative models like ‘mandi-style’ aggregation systems are being piloted to link informal collectors with formal recyclers.

Road Ahead

• Scaling up formal operations;
• Curbing malpractices in the EPR system;
• Enhancing product life cycles through repair;
• Creating robust inventory systems;

Source: TH