A glance over Waste Policies in India!

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Govt. is trying to address the waste of India

No, its not about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan



It's about the waste we generate - as Plastic Waste, as Electronic Waste

It seems to be the next big thing.

The push is on circular economy, Extended Producer Responsibility.


Sharing 2 of the Police-policies by Govt:


1. rPET Bottles:

Govt. mandated the use of 30% recycled food-grade PET (rPET) bottles starting April 1, 2025. The cola/pepsi we drink, companies are now required to use 30% recycled plastic for bottles.


Beverage manufacturers, as expected, are not very happy with this, citing problems like infra. for recycling, material shortage in country, Cost concerns - at the time of peak demand in summer. They are even considering legal action against the govt.


Moreover, only 5 companies in India are approved by FSSAI for recycling, which meets just 15% of the demand as against 30% requirement.


2. E-Waste:

India is the 3rd largest E-Waste generator, but only 43% of the waste is recycled, of which 80% is done by informal sector.


The recycling done by informal sector is not less than a living hell - For ex in Seelampur, Delhi - "Young children are prying apart motherboards

inside. Motherboards are dipped in sulphuric acid for extracting silver and gold. Circuit boards are cooked in high flames to extract copper....The air is so heavy here that it becomes difficult to breathe.... Most workers

in Seelampur earn less than Rs 200 a day. Circuit boards with precious metals like copper, lead and gold go to Moradabad, which specialises in gold

extraction." (Factor Daily)


Govt polici-ed this area with new rules, aiming for Extended Producer Responsibility. If you manufacture and sell Electronic products, then it's your responsibility for its recycling.


And again, the manufacturers have reportedly sued the government for the same.


"India's new rules MANDATE a minimum payment of ₹22 (25 U.S. cents) per

kilogram to recycle consumer electronics. Electronics companies say that will roughly triple their costs and benefit recyclers at their expense.


Statements from LG:

- proposed rates were very high and should be reduced

- the pricing rules fail to take into consideration that merely by fleecing companies and taxing them in the name of the 'polluter pays principle', the (government) objectives sought to be achieved cannot be achieved."(Reuters)


The intention behind the policy seems good, but again govt. missed the implementation part - there is not proper recycling ecosystem, no proper infrastructure. Even if they pay INR 22 per KG to "Registered Recyclers" (not the informal ones), it's unlikely that this will create any real change on the ground.


Biggest E-waste generators - US and China have their own policies for the problem, but what they have is the ecosystem and Infra for the same.

(Aptly coverd by Markets by Zerodha, Anurag Bansal)


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This industry deserves a deep-dive, as huge as waste mountains in the country, if anybody wants to join in, drop a DM. 

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