Dump to Dividend: The Strategic Future of E-Waste in India

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.

- TBG NETWORK

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