India’s E-Waste Problem Is Growing With Electronic Consumption
India e-waste generation is growing as more smartphones, laptops, televisions, chargers and other electronic devices reach the end of their useful life.
According to estimates based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, India generated 13,97,955.59 metric tonnes of e-waste in 2024–25, compared with 12,54,286.55 metric tonnes in 2023–24. The government also reported that the percentage of e-waste collected, dismantled and recycled or disposed rose from 61.94% to 70.71% during the same period.
The figures show that India is building a formal system for dealing with electronic waste, but the scale of the problem continues to grow. Here are five important issues behind India’s e-waste challenge.
1. India’s E-Waste Problem Is Growing With Electronic Consumption
Electronic devices have become an essential part of everyday life. Smartphones, computers, televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners and other electrical and electronic equipment are used by households, businesses, schools and public institutions.
As technology changes, older devices are frequently replaced by newer models. A device that is no longer useful to one consumer may therefore quickly become waste.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has stated that e-waste generation has increased over the years alongside greater use of electrical and electronic equipment and technological advancement.
The latest figures illustrate the scale of this growth. India’s estimated e-waste generation increased by more than 1.4 lakh metric tonnes between FY 2023–24 and FY 2024–25.
This creates a difficult question: where do all these discarded electronics go after consumers stop using them?
2. Collection and Recycling Need to Keep Pace With Generation
Generating e-waste is only the first part of the problem. The next challenge is ensuring that discarded electronics reach appropriate collection, dismantling and recycling facilities.
Government data indicates that the reported percentage of e-waste collected, dismantled and recycled or disposed increased to 70.71% in FY 2024–25, from 61.94% in the previous financial year.
The improvement is significant, but the figures also demonstrate why collection and processing capacity remain important as the total amount of e-waste increases.
India’s E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 introduced a strengthened Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. Under the system, producers, manufacturers, refurbishers and recyclers are required to register through the CPCB’s system, while producers have responsibilities connected to the recycling of electronic products they place on the market.
The CPCB operates an online EPR portal through which producers, recyclers, refurbishers and manufacturers participate in the formal e-waste management system.
However, a growing volume of electronic waste means that collection systems need to remain accessible to consumers and capable of handling different types of discarded equipment.
3. Informal E-Waste Processing Remains a Challenge
Another important part of India’s e-waste problem is the informal sector.
Electronic waste has economic value because devices contain materials that can be recovered. This creates an industry around collecting, dismantling and extracting useful components from discarded electronics.
But processing e-waste without appropriate equipment, environmental controls and worker protections can create risks.
The government has acknowledged informal e-waste activities as an issue requiring monitoring. Under the implementation framework for the E-Waste Management Rules, state pollution control boards and other authorities are expected to conduct checks on informal e-waste activities and help channel such activities towards the formal sector.
At the same time, the government has previously stated that it does not have an estimate of the proportion of India’s e-waste handled by the informal sector. This is an important limitation when discussing the size of informal processing in India.
Therefore, claims that attempt to assign a precise percentage of India’s e-waste to informal recyclers should be treated carefully unless supported by new official data.
4. E-Waste Contains Valuable Materials and Hazardous Components
Electronic waste is different from ordinary household garbage.
Old electronics can contain materials that have economic value and can potentially be recovered through recycling. This makes e-waste an important part of India’s transition towards a more circular economy.
At the same time, some electronic components can contain substances that require controlled handling. CPCB guidance has identified substances including lead, cadmium, mercury and certain flame-retardant chemicals among materials that may be present in e-waste and require safe management.
This is why simply throwing an old electronic device into a regular garbage bin is not an ideal disposal route.
The E-Waste Management Rules also include provisions relating to restrictions on hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Producers are required to ensure that their products do not exceed prescribed maximum concentrations of substances such as lead and mercury.
Proper recycling can therefore serve two purposes: recovering valuable materials while reducing the environmental risks associated with uncontrolled processing.
5. India Is Building a Formal E-Waste Management System
India has introduced a regulatory framework intended to make producers more responsible for the electronic products they place in the market.
The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, which came into force on April 1, 2023, introduced an updated EPR system for e-waste. The framework requires relevant producers, manufacturers, refurbishers and recyclers to register with the CPCB and provides mechanisms for monitoring compliance.
The system also uses recycling targets and EPR certificates. Registered producers are expected to fulfil applicable EPR obligations through the formal system, while registered recyclers generate certificates associated with recycling activities.
The government has also introduced measures intended to strengthen India’s circular economy, including EPR frameworks covering several categories of waste. BusinessPress has also reported on an Indian recycling technology aimed at recovering valuable materials from difficult-to-recycle waste streams.
For consumers, this means responsible disposal is becoming increasingly important. Instead of treating an old phone, computer or appliance as ordinary garbage, consumers can look for authorised collection or recycling channels.
What Can Consumers Do With Old Electronics?
Consumers play an important role in keeping e-waste within the formal recycling system.
Before throwing away an electronic device, people can first check whether it can be repaired, reused, refurbished or returned through a producer’s take-back programme.
For devices that can no longer be used, consumers should look for authorised collection points, registered recyclers or appropriate producer take-back mechanisms.
Consumers should also remove personal information from devices such as smartphones, computers and storage drives before handing them over for recycling.
The CPCB’s E-Waste EPR portal provides information about the formal e-waste management system and registered stakeholders.
For readers in Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) also maintains information on electronic waste management, including lists of authorised e-waste facilities and relevant rules and documents.
The Bigger Issue Behind India’s E-Waste Problem
India’s e-waste challenge is not simply about the amount of old electronics being discarded.
It is also about whether the country can build systems that allow those products to be collected, transported, dismantled and recycled safely as the volume continues to rise.
The increase from 12.54 lakh tonnes of estimated e-waste generation in FY 2023–24 to nearly 14 lakh tonnes in FY 2024–25 shows the scale of the challenge. At the same time, the increase in the reported percentage of e-waste collected, dismantled and recycled or disposed indicates progress in formal management.
The challenge now is to ensure that India’s growing electronics economy is matched by equally effective systems for dealing with products at the end of their useful lives.
Conclusion
India’s e-waste problem is closely connected to the country’s rapid adoption of electronic technology. More devices in homes, offices and businesses ultimately mean more products reaching the end of their useful life.
The latest government figures show both growth in e-waste generation and improvement in reported formal processing. The E-Waste Management Rules, 2022 have created a stronger producer-responsibility framework, while the CPCB’s EPR portal provides a formal mechanism for producers, recyclers and other stakeholders.
For ordinary consumers, the message is straightforward: an old electronic device should not automatically be treated like ordinary household garbage. Repair, reuse, authorised collection and formal recycling can help ensure that valuable materials are recovered and potentially harmful components are handled appropriately.
As India’s dependence on electronic devices continues to grow, responsible management of what happens after those devices stop working will become an increasingly important part of the country’s environmental and circular-economy challenge.
