India is likely to sit at the city waste mine if we take into account a report that says European electronic waste will lead to an extraction of 1 million tons of critical raw minerals (CRM) if it is extracted annually.
The report concerned was published today, which is also an international electronic waste day, Future consortiumInstitutions funded by the European Union.
The report provides comprehensive data on how electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) travel from sale to its end throughout life across the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.
View of numbers in numbers:
In 2022, Europe generated 10.7 million tonnes of electronic waste, of which 54 % were controlled according to the required compliance. About 400,000 tons of CRM were obtained from this electronic waste. It was copper, aluminum, silicon, tungsten and palladium.
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The report also states that the total volume of EEE waste could increase by 2050 per year to approximately 12.5 to 19 million tonnes in Europe.
Control of electronic waste in Europe.
CRMS is expected to give birth at 1.2 to 1.9 million tonnes per year at a similar pace.
“European electronic waste is not garbage, it is a source with more billions of euros awaiting unlocking,” said interesting engineering head of scientific specialist in Unitar Scycle, who added: “Every kilogram we recover, and any facilities we repair, strengthens our economics.”
How can India benefit?
While Europe has currently produced 10.7 million tonnes of electronic waste, India produced 1.751 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2023-24, according to data presented by the Minister of Housing and urban affairs in Rajya Sabha 16 December 2024.
This means that India itself has created more than 16% of electronic waste throughout Europe.
India E-Waste vs. Europe
Indian electronic waste, according to the data provided, increased by 72.54 % in 2019-20 to 2023-24.
India, therefore, sits on a huge “bottom” of electric waste, which could provide a large number of critical raw materials by its industry.
How much electronic waste does India process?
The Government has introduced the E-Waste rules (management), 2022, effective 1 April 2023 to streamline the collection and recycling of electronic waste. This is done by holding the manufacturers/manufacturers of electronic or electric goods responsible for the extended responsibility of the manufacturer (EPR).
Based on the amount of generated electronic waste or products sold, electronic and electrical equipment manufacturers are annual recycling objectives.
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Government data presented in Rajya Sabha in August 2024 reveal that over the past five years there has been a significant increase in electronic waste recycling in the country, but there is still remain.
Indian recycling of electronic waste in 2023-24 increased from 22 percent in 2019–202 to 43 %.
However, the remaining 57 % of electronic waste, which is unprocessed, is around 990,000 tonnes per year.
According to numbers, it may seem that Indian electronic waste may be a burden on the government in the form of an environmental challenge, but if it could connect with the right systems, it could unlock a stable home supply of CRM and potentially create green tasks.
(Tagstotranslate) recycling of electronic waste
