In the dead of a cold December night in 2023, at a dump near Delhi, hundreds of men huddled around small bonfires, clutching paper cups of tea. They tossed plastic bags into the flames as they waited for a fleet of trucks to arrive.
The trucks rolled in one by one, full of electronic marvels now reduced to e-waste: Nokia, Itel, and Samsung smartphones; Sony and LG LCD screens; Tata air conditioners; Canon and Epson printers.
As the trailer gates opened at the back of one truck, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Iqrar, both in their early 30s, rushed inside. “Hand me a flashlight!” Khan shouted, frustrated as he tried to keep his balance atop a mound of appliances. Iqrar’s phone flashlight went on, illuminating the heaps of broken and used electronics.
It took the two men 90 minutes to unload the container. On average, e-waste traders pay workers like Iqrar and Khan about 250 rupees ($3), the two men told me, to offload a single truck.
India’s booming electronics sector has contributed to a quickly growing e-waste recycling industry worth $1.5 billion. India’s booming electronics sector has contributed to a quickly growing e-waste recycling industry worth $1.5 billion. Despite recent efforts to modernize the industry, 95% of those employed in e-waste recycling are informal workers who unload trucks, sift through scraps, and dismantle TVs and computers. Despite recent efforts to modernize the industry, 95% of those employed in e-waste recycling are informal workers who unload trucks, sift through scraps, and dismantle TVs and computers. For many of those workers, the pay is meagre and the industry can be dangerous, lawless, and toxic. For many of those workers, the pay is meagre and the industry can be dangerous, lawless, and toxic. As the recycling economy continues to grow and formalize, workers are left to the whims of regulators and other powerful players in the industry. As the recycling economy continues to grow and formalize, workers are left to the whims of regulators and other powerful players in the industry.
Located in Mustafabad, a residential area of Delhi, this dusty site called Khatta is one node in a vast network of informal e-waste recycling facilities across India. It is roughly the size of half a football field. Here, the electronics of the world’s most populous country come to die — and to maybe be reborn. Workers comb through massive piles of gadgets and devices, picking out items to load onto smaller carts. Then, using bicycles, motorbikes, and horses, they shuttle material to nearby warehouses for dismantling and processing.
India is the world’s third-largest producer of e-waste, having generated approximately 1.75 million metric tons in the fiscal year ending 2024, an increase of nearly 75% over the last five years. Close to 60% of e-waste in the country remains unrecycled — which represents both an environmental concern and a financial opportunity. In addition to domestic e-waste, the country is also a magnet for e-waste from countries such as Yemen, the United States, and the Dominican Republic, making India the third-largest importer of it in the world, from both legal and illegal sources.
Used electronics contain a treasure trove of recoverable raw materials including gold, silver, copper, and rare earth elements. These can be reused in new electronic devices or repurposed entirely. Thanks to government regulation, there’s also money to be made in just processing the recycled materials. Altogether, that adds up to a $1.56 billion industry, according to one 2023 measure by an Indian market analytics firm.
Piles of discarded computer mice at the RecycleKaro electronic waste recycling facility in Palghar, Mumbai.
Pile of discarded mobile phones at e-waste informal market in north-east Delhi.
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