Mines Ministry launches drive to promote e-waste recycling at IITF-2025

India, the world’s third-largest generator of e-waste, produces nearly 3,230 kilotonnes of discarded electronics every year—but only about one per cent is formally recycled. To address this growing environmental and public health challenge, the Ministry of Mines has launched a nationwide e-waste awareness campaign at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur, has been appointed the nodal agency for promoting circular economy practices under this initiative. At IITF 2025, the Centre has showcased a wide-ranging outreach campaign aimed at motivating citizens to adopt responsible e-waste disposal habits.

Today, India generates several lakh tonnes of e-waste annually, and improper disposal contaminates soil and water, releases toxic heavy metals, and poses severe health hazards. Recycling of these wastes through authorised channels is crucial, as it enables recovery of essential minerals such as copper, gold, platinum, aluminium and niobium—materials vital for electronics, renewable energy systems and defence applications.

For the first time at IITF, visitors could witness live demonstrations of metal extraction from e-waste and understand the risks of unsafe handling. The effort seeks to encourage households to stop selling old gadgets to informal scrap dealers and instead use certified recycling routes.

JNARDDC has also partnered with Attero Recyclage, which offers doorstep e-waste collection across 15 cities with assured transfer to authorised recyclers. Citizens can register through Selsmart to donate devices.

As per reports, the Ministry recently launched a nationwide e-waste collection drive, with dedicated drop-off points in government offices and companies to channel large volumes into formal recycling systems.