India Pushes for E-Waste Recycling to Recover Critical Minerals
The Ministry of Mines, the department has been working closely with private companies to develop sufficient capabilities in India for complete electronic waste utilization and critical mineral recovery in the coming years.
Last month, the government sanctioned a Rs.1,500 crore incentive program focused on critical mineral recycling.
This program, forming part of the National Critical Mineral Mission, seeks to establish a sensible approach for maintaining supply chain stability in the immediate future.
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On October 2, 2025, the Ministry of Mines published comprehensive guidelines for this program following discussions with industry participants. Applications for involvement opened the same day.
The Ministry noted that participants appreciated the rapid implementation and demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for participating in this initiative.
The program covers qualifying materials including electronic waste, depleted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and additional scrap materials like catalytic converters from vehicles at end-of-life. Ministry statistics indicate that India produces approximately 1.75 million tonnes of electronic waste and 60 kilo tonnes of used LIBs each year. The elimination of customs duties on LIB scrap in the 2025-26 Union Budget will facilitate imports of such materials, broadening recycling possibilities throughout the next four to five years.
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The collection of raw materials will be enhanced through the formalization process under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which requires manufacturers to guarantee appropriate gathering and processing of electronic waste and battery waste. Currently, a significant portion of black mass, a powder that contains precious metals, gets shipped overseas without domestic mineral extraction due to insufficient processing capabilities. This updated program will provide benefits to recycling companies that actively extract minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, motivating dismantling operations, crushing facilities, and shredding businesses to join the official recycling network.
Only a handful of Indian companies presently run comprehensive full-cycle recycling operations, referred to as R4 recycling, which transform battery waste into metal products. To increase involvement, the program's incentives are limited to Rs 50 crore for major recycling operations and Rs 25 crore for smaller enterprises.
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The Ministry stated that this program will enhance recycling capabilities through established technologies like hydrometallurgy. Academic institutions such as IITs and CSIR laboratories have created domestic methods for metal extraction and refinement. These organizations are additionally offering instruction in mineral processing and extraction techniques, guaranteeing that skill needs within the program can be fulfilled through partnerships between educational institutions and industry.