India has an e-waste explosion

Reportedly, within the past five years, India has had an increase of 72.54% in e-waste. This is shown from having 1.01 million tonnes in 2019-20 to 1.751 million tonnes in 2023-24.

It has also been made clear that the largest time of increase, which was between 2019-20 and 2020-21, occurred due to a rise in demand for electronics during the COVID-19 pandemic. This spike in demand occurred, as these appliance were required to make working from home, as well as online education possible throughout this time.

Another report in Augst 2024 highlighted that the share of e-waste recycled in India rose from 22% in 2019-20 to 43% in 2023-24. However, it was also evident that within these figures, 57% of the e-waste, which equals an estimated 990,000 tonnes, was unused. Due to this rise in e-waste, a new concern has been raised by experts and now the call to action, falls to asking for a collaboration between the informal and formal sectors. The aim of this collaboration, would be to improve the collection and processing of e-waste.

The Indian minister in charge has stated that, ‘the government is taking action through the E-Waste Management Rules 2022. These rules, effective from April 1, 2023, mandate producers to meet recycling targets through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system. Schools and government institutions are now classified as ‘bulk consumers’ and have to dispose of their e-waste to registered recyclers.’