E-waste processing: A problem of scale

E-waste in India, as in other countries, is the fastest-growing waste stream. Though the current generation of e-waste is not as high as other waste streams like municipal solid waste, industrial waste or construction and demolition debris, its current state of management is causing environment pollution while recovery and recycling of value from it in informal sector remains a cause of concern. It is crucial to look at the present capacity created for e-waste processing, with respect to their locations vis-à-vis hot spots for e-waste generation. It would also be useful to locate these units in say a 250 km radius from the bulk e-waste collection points and upgrade them with technologies to recover semi-precious, precious and rare earth metals to address our resource security of the future.