Green IT: A One-Stop-Solution for e-Waste Management in India

Green IT Recycling Center Pvt Ltd is an asset recovery solution provider, managing excess or end-of-life IT assets. Their expertise in process engineering and remarketing directly translates into the recovery of IT asset value for the clients’ businesses. In an interaction with NCN magazine, Mr. Ratnesh Rathi, Director, Green IT Recycling Center Pvt Ltd, shares his views on e-waste handling and the growth of e-waste in India.

We are working in this field for the last 25 years and our main focus is on IT recycling waste. For the last many years, we have acquired expertise in the refurbishing of IT products, which come under the circulatory economy. We undertake recycling of the PCBs in our factory–the shredding as well as the metal extraction. We are a pioneer in this field. We have recently tied up with Homi Bhaba Atomic Research Center for further metal extraction of the precious metals in the PCBs and other products. Our company basically works on the fundamentals of segregation, dismantling, and recycling. Most of the discarded IT products yield different types of metals and components. Though separating and sorting out the rare metals is a difficult task, we use innovative machinery which we have indigenously developed to complete these tasks.

What solutions your brand is providing and to which brand?

Basically, this comes under the EPR rule and which says that whoever is the manufacturer of the electronic item should take responsibility of its final disposal. We have tied up with many of the electronic companies who are doing the manufacturing of electronic items. We are pioneers in the collection of e-waste which is a complex task in general. We have 4 offices and 180 collection centers across India. Currently, we are working with Whirlpool, LG, and many other top brands.

Can you throw some light on the e-waste process?

The process basically depends on the type of products and the volume of e-waste that needs to be collected. There are specific ways and critical steps to follow while dismantling and segregating different types of metals and materials. Unfortunately, most companies do not know or do not follow the right process while disposing of e-waste.

How the e-waste industry is doing in India?

The e-waste business has a wide scope of opportunities in the Indian market. As per the survey conducted by the pollution control board, around 3.5 lac tonnes of e-waste is being collected in a week and it is set to grow with time. There is a huge demand for recyclers and dismantlers in the Indian market. Currently, there are around four hundred recyclers in the e-waste disposal working in India. Some new companies including MNCs are coming to India to join this business.

What is your message to the industry?

The message is very clear: e-waste is a very hazardous substance and addressing this issue should be our top priority. The Indian government is also very keen to tackle this issue and is in need of partners with more expertise in this field.