How battery waste recovery hubs can redefine sustainability in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities

Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities can power India's battery circular economy by hosting decentralised recovery hubs, enabling sustainable recycling, job creation, resource security, and reducing environmental impact across the value chain.

- By Manikumar Uppala, Co-Founder and Chief of Industrial Engineering, Metastable Materials

Batteries are at the epicentre of modern life. Whether it is portable electric devices or vehicles, batteries are central to their functioning and ours, and the convenience they provide results in the consequence of battery waste. As India moves towards a circular economy, the efficient and sustainable management of this waste stream becomes critical. Waste management in India is struggling in metro cities due to high volumes and informal systems operating at scale, while smaller cities lack adequate infrastructure and informal recycling systems. The high and accelerating rates of battery waste, however, can be better managed through a decentralised solution. The cities of Tier 2 and Tier 3 serve as local economic and logistical hubs, offering potential for establishing recovery hubs. Recovery hubs are facilities designed to collect, sort, disassemble, and pre-process used batteries before recycling. These may range from simple aggregation and sorting points to semi-automated dismantling and material recovery plants.

The problem of battery waste & recovery

India wants to become a hub of EV production and renewable energy storage. The demand for Li-ion batteries is estimated to reach 115 GWh by 2030, driven by these electrification goals, and the volume for recycling is projected to be 128 GWh by 2030. This projection suggests that a robust recycling infrastructure is urgently required. A majority of the battery waste, particularly that of consumer electronics, is currently collected and managed by the informal sector. The informal sector also does some of the segregation and separation post-collection, and their processes are usually not environmentally friendly.