In January 2026, a NITI Aayog-TERI report placed India's e-waste sector as a major circular-economy opportunity. It estimated the annual economic value of India's e-waste stream at about ₹51,000 crore. Around 60% of this value is technically recoverable, which works out to about ₹30,600 crore of potentially usable resources. Existing recovery systems, however, capture only 18% of that potential. This gap shows why e-waste is not only an environmental issue but also an economic question linked to resources, industry and governance.
E-waste includes discarded mobile phones, computers, televisions, household appliances and other electronic goods, along with metals, plastics, glass and hazardous substances contained in them. Electronic devices can contain valuable materials such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements. Safe and formal processing can support resource security and reduce pollution. Informal processing, on the other hand, often means lower recovery, health risks and contamination of soil and water.
E-Waste Management Rules and Extended Producer Responsibility are key tools for applying the circular economy. The 2026 NITI Aayog-TERI report and the PIB release emphasised recommendations on infrastructure development, sector formalisation, strengthening the Extended Producer Responsibility framework and improving revenue potential for e-waste and lithium-ion battery scrap. India's e-waste is expected to rise from 6.19 MMT in 2024 to 14 MMT by 2030. Therefore, this current-affairs issue should be linked with static GK areas such as circular economy, E-Waste Management Rules, Extended Producer Responsibility and resource efficiency.