E Waste Management

American e-waste is causing 'hidden tsunami' in Southeast Asia, report says

Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste, according to a new report released Wednesday by an environmental watchdog. The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, or BAN, said a two-year investigation found at least 10 US companies exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, in what it says is a hidden tsunami of electronic waste. This new, almost invisible tsunami of e-waste is taking place ... padding already lucrative profit margins of the electronics recycling sector while allowing a major portion of the American public's and corporate IT equipment to be surreptitiously exported to and processed under harmful conditions in Southeast Asia, the report said. Growing e-waste --------------------- Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices like phones and computers containing both valuable materials and toxic metals

Delhi's Holambi Kalan e-waste plant to double capacity after Norway study

Delhi's first E-Waste Eco Park in Holambi Kalan will now be twice as big and powerful, Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. Initially designed to process 51,000 metric tonnes of e-waste annually with an investment of Rs 150 crore, the Holambi Kalan plant will now be built to handle 1,10,000 MT per year, covering almost twice the area and with nearly double the capital expenditure, according to a government statement. The decision comes after Sirsa's August 4-5 inspection of the Revac facility in Norway's Revetal, regarded as one of Europe's most advanced and environmentally compliant e-waste plants, it said in the statement. Sirsa said the upgraded project will adopt a global zero-waste model, ensuring no air, water, or radiation pollution, with advanced scrubbers, in-house water purification, concretised flooring, and complete material recovery. "Our goal is integrated progress where clean industry fuels economic growth and safeguards the environment," h

Attero to invest ₹100 crore to scale rare earth recycling capacity

E-waste recycling company Attero plans to invest Rs 100 crore to scale up its rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes from 300 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months, a top official of the firm said on Thursday. China in April imposed restrictions on exports of rare earth, a critical mineral used in manufacturing of electronic, automobile and other technology products. Attero CEO and Co-Founder Nitin Gupta told PTI that the investment is in line with demand in the market for rare earth magnets, for which industries in India and across the world like electronics, automobile etc are entirely dependent on supplies from China. "With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs 100 crore towards this expansion," he said. The company will focus on extraction of rare earth minerals such

Seelampur's e-waste economy moves to shadows but carries on silently

In the winding, congested alleyways of New Seelampur, a 500-foot stretch tucked deep inside east Delhi, life hums with the quiet rustle of wires, metal scraps, and fraying hopes. Every household here seems tied to the business of e-waste -- a world where old computers, phones, fridges, and their innards are torn down, stripped, sorted, and sold. But the story is no longer what it once was. As India's e-waste policy evolves and the gaze of enforcement agencies intensifies, the epicentre of one of the world's largest informal e-waste markets has quietly dispersed, not collapsed, but fragmented and slipped into the shadows. The business hasn't ended, it has just moved -- to Loni, Muradabad, Meerut and smaller towns where it thrives away from the eyes of the regulators, the media, and digital scrutiny. The volumes have not really reduced. The business is still alive, but just not visible in Delhi anymore, says Vinod, programme officer at Toxics Link, an environmental NGO. Two things

Centre along with UNDP to empower waste pickers through inclusion, safety

The Centre on Labour Day signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve waste pickers' access to finance and relevant technologies and ensure a safer and more sustainable work environment. The agreement was exchanged between Angela Lusigi, UNDP's Resident Representative in India and Amit Yadav, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE). The collaboration would unravel as part of government's ongoing efforts under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, which added waste pickers as a key focus group in 2024, according to an official statement. Under the agreement, the UNDP will provide financial assistance to set up state project management units (PMUs) across multiple states to ensure better coordination between central and state authorities and streamline implementation. The waste picker component of NAMASTE aims to formally identify and support around 2.5 lakh people engage

From Daikin to Samsung, companies fight Indian govt over e-waste policy

Daikin, Hitachi and Samsung are among manufacturers raising concerns over new Indian government rules mandating significantly higher payments for recycling appliances like ACs, refrigerators and TVs

India sees 72% rise in electrical, electronic waste in 5 years : Govt

The country saw an increase of around 72 per cent in e-waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) such as smartphones, computers, television sets and refrigerators over the past five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. According to a written reply to a question by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, 10.14 lakh tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2019-20 and the figure climbed to 17.51 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. Sahu said 13,46,496 tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2020-21, 16,01,155 tonnes in 2021-22 and 16,09,117 tonnes in 2022-23. Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, 21 EEE items were notified and information about e-waste generated from these items is available for the last four years (2019-20 to 2022-23). These 21 items include laptops, telephones, cordless telephones, cellular telephones, smartphones, television sets, air-conditioners (excluding centralised air-conditioning plants) and washing machines. Accordi

Waste management critical issue across globe, says US Consul General

Consul General of the United States in Mumbai, Mike Hankey, has said that waste management was an important issue, not just for an urbanising Maharashtra, but for communities across India and around the world. He was speaking here on Thursday the sidelines of 'TechCamp Pune', an event focused on the theme of redesigning sustainable urban waste management. The US Consulate General, Mumbai, in partnership with the Symbiosis International University Centre for Waste Resource Management, ExploreiT and the Climate Reality Project held the 'TechCamp Pune', a release said. The event brought together US and international trainers and over 45 waste management professionals from Maharashtra, including technocrats, policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders and other stakeholders. Participants worked together over four days to define pressing waste management challenges and develop practical solutions to address them. They explored how digital tools

Govt plans 'repairability index' for mobile, electronics to tackle e-waste

India is planning a repairability index for mobile phones and electronic products to address the growing e-waste problem and encourage manufacturers to produce more easily repairable items, officials said on Thursday. The Consumer Affairs Ministry is spearheading the initiative, which will provide a score on key parameters to inform consumers about the ease with which a product can be repaired, the officials said at a national workshop on the issue. Addressing the workshop, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said: "As India emerges as the third largest economy in the world, we should have a vibrant and tech-savvy repair system." She also added, "India can become a repair hub for the world." The proposed index will be similar to initiatives in other countries, such as France's repairability index. It will rate products on criteria including availability of technical documents, ease of disassembly, spare parts availability and pricing. The workshop was aimed at establishing a ..

Govt plans 'repairability index' for mobile, electronics to tackle e-waste

India is planning a repairability index for mobile phones and electronic products to address the growing e-waste problem and encourage manufacturers to produce more easily repairable items, officials said on Thursday. The Consumer Affairs Ministry is spearheading the initiative, which will provide a score on key parameters to inform consumers about the ease with which a product can be repaired, the officials said at a national workshop on the issue. Addressing the workshop, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said: "As India emerges as the third largest economy in the world, we should have a vibrant and tech-savvy repair system." She also added, "India can become a repair hub for the world." The proposed index will be similar to initiatives in other countries, such as France's repairability index. It will rate products on criteria including availability of technical documents, ease of disassembly, spare parts availability and pricing. The workshop was aimed at establishing a ..

Govt to launch platform for trading e-waste responsibility certificates

EPR is a policy that puts the burden of a product's afterlife on the shoulders of the producer, not just consumers or governments

Kerala CM Vijayan launches Rs 2,400 cr solid waste management project

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday inaugurated the Rs 2,400-crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) as part of the second phase of 'Malinya Muktham Navakeralam' (garbage free) campaign here. Addressing a gathering, Vijayan said the southern state was being urbanised at a rapid pace and urged everyone to join hands to achieve a garbage-free Kerala. "According to certain reports, at least 90 per cent of the state's population will be urbanised by 2035. There are opportunities as well as challenges in this regard. Adapting to modern techniques for waste management is part of addressing the challenges," Vijayan said. Local Self Government minister, M B Rajesh, presided over the function where Industries Minister P Rajeeve, unveiled a new design for material collection facilities (MCFs) and resource recovery facilities (RRFs), developed by architect G Shankar. Congress leader and Ernakulam MP, Hibi Eden, launched a new Grievance Redressal Mechanism developed by

Mobile retail firm Celekt launches 'Mission E-waste' to protect environment

'Celekt Mobiles', a mobile retail chain on Friday announced the launch of 'Mission E-waste', an initiative aimed at combating electronic waste in India. 'Mission E-waste'-- initiative entails the installation of dedicated e-waste bins in every Celekt Mobiles store, allowing customers to responsibly dispose defunct mobiles, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices, a release said here. As a token of appreciation for this responsible action, customers will receive discount coupons ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000, redeemable for up to six months on new purchases from Celekt stores, it said. Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao, who inaugurated the 'Mission E-waste', expressed concern over the prevalent practice of retaining unused or malfunctioning devices rather than properly discarding them. The Minister praised Celekt Mobiles for the initiative and underscored the importance of their efforts in addressing the growing e-waste crisis, the release said. Cele

India collected 527,131 tonne e-waste in FY22, half of it from Haryana

India generated more than 1.6 million tonne of e-waste in FY22, up from 1.3 million tonne in FY21

Plastic, e-waste recycling can be $20 bn opportunity: Avendus Capital

'Turning waste into quality secondary raw materials is on the policy agenda of many regulators,' the report states

Mobile industry agrees for phased roll-out of uniform device chargers: Govt

Smartphone companies and industry organisations have agreed to a phased rollout of a uniform charging port for all electronic devices, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday. A sub-group will be set up to examine the feasibility of uniform charging ports for wearables, it said. This was decided during a discussion in the meeting of the inter-ministerial task force chaired by Consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh here. The representatives of industry associations such as MAIT, FICCI, CII, educational institutions, including IIT Kanpur, IIT (BHU), Varanasi as well as the central government ministries, including the Environment Ministry, attended the meeting. "Stakeholders agreed that a phased roll-out of the common charging port may be conducted so that the same can be applied by the industry and adopted by consumers harmoniously," an official statement said. In the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on the adoption of USB Type C as a charging por

India needs a tech platform for e-waste recycling

A collaborative effort between government, the regulator, producers and recyclers is required to ensure that the electronic waste is recycled

Cleantech start-up Sistema.bio raises $15 million in Series B round

Financing will strengthen partnerships and distribution, carbon reduction activities, R&D efforts and overall operations in LATAM, Africa, and Asia-Pacific

ASUS to pick e-waste from your doorstep in India sans any charge

According to the United Nations, each person on the planet will produce on average 7.6 kg of e-waste in 2021

MeitY formulates policy paper on circular economy to deal with e-waste

Centre has formed 11 committees, each led by a ministry, to prepare action plans for transitioning from a linear to a circular economy in their respective focus areas