India generated 14.14 lakh tonnes of E-Waste in 2025–26. How Much Is Being Recycled?

Oct 5

4 min read

E-waste recycling in India showing electronic waste processing and recycling

India's e-waste volumes keep rising, and the latest government data shows both the scale of the challenge and the growth of formal recycling. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) placed before the Lok Sabha in March 2026, India generated 14,14,645 metric tonnes of e-waste during 2025–26 so far, of which 9,79,080 metric tonnes had been recycled

Most coverage of this data stopped at the topline figures. This piece goes further into what the numbers mean, why the recycling share moved the way it did, and where the material that isn't showing up in official recycling data is actually going.

India's E-Waste Generation in 2025-26: The Numbers in Context

According to CPCB data shared with Parliament, India generated 14,14,645 metric tonnes of e-waste in 2025-26, against 13,97,955 metric tonnes in 2024-25 and 12,54,286 metric tonnes in 2023-24. That's a steady, unsurprising climb, roughly in line with the growth curve India has followed since the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 expanded coverage to 106 categories of electrical and electronic equipment.

The recycling figures are where things get more interesting. In 2025-26, 9,79,080 metric tonnes were recycled out of the 14.14 lakh tonnes generated, a recovery rate of about 69%. In 2024-25, the country recycled 11,59,288 metric tonnes out of 13,97,955 generated, closer to 83%. On the surface, a lower recycling percentage in a year when generation only grew modestly looks like backward progress. The more likely explanation, based on how CPCB compiles these figures, is timing: the 2025-26 numbers were captured mid-year when the ministry responded to the parliamentary question in March, meaning a full year of processing hadn't been logged yet against a full year of estimated generation. It's a reporting-cycle artefact as much as a performance one, but it still matters for how producers and recyclers read the trend line.

Where the Recycled Volume Is Actually Coming From

The state-wise breakdown for 2025-26 is where the geography of India's formal recycling sector becomes obvious. Uttar Pradesh led all states with 3,76,896 metric tonnes recycled, followed by Telangana at 1,61,988 metric tonnes and Haryana at 1,35,951 metric tonnes. Together, these three states account for a disproportionate share of the national recycling total, which lines up with where registered processing capacity is actually built.

As of the most recent government disclosure on capacity, CPCB had 322 registered recyclers and 72 registered refurbishers nationally, with a combined reported processing capacity well above 22 lakh metric tonnes per annum. On paper, that capacity figure comfortably exceeds the 14.14 lakh tonnes generated in 2025-26. In practice, capacity and actual throughput are two different things, and the recycled tonnage falling well short of both generation and installed capacity says something about how much of the system is running under capacity, not about a hard ceiling on what India's recyclers can physically process.

The Gap Between Generated and Recycled Tonnes

The difference between the reported generation and recycling figures is approximately 4.36 lakh tonnes. However, this should not be interpreted as a direct measure of India's informal e-waste sector. Because the 2025–26 figures were reported as “so far”, the gap may include material that had not yet been processed or reported at the time of the parliamentary disclosure, in addition to material moving through channels outside the formal recycling system.

The informal sector nevertheless remains an important part of India's e-waste landscape. The challenge for the formal ecosystem is to bring more collection, dismantling and recycling activity into traceable, authorised channels where material recovery can be documented and linked to the EPR framework.

What This Means for Recyclers Building Capacity Now

For recyclers, the 2025-26 data points to two things worth acting on. First, registered processing capacity is concentrated in a small number of states, which means recyclers setting up in underserved regions face less competition for the material generated locally. Second, the gap between what's generated and what's formally recycled represents real, uncaptured volume that a recycler with the right e-waste recycling machinery and proper CPCB authorisation is positioned to capture as producers face growing pressure to close their annual targets.

We've covered the practical side of scaling this kind of operation in our breakdown of India's e-waste recycling plant shortage, and the underlying message holds here too: the demand for verified capacity is outpacing the supply of it, and that imbalance is a business opportunity as much as a policy problem. Recyclers who've scaled through proper machinery investment have already helped build over a lakh tonnes of cumulative annual processing capacity, a trend our own impact numbers reflect, and that kind of expansion is what closes the gap between what India generates and what it actually recycles.

FAQs

How much e-waste did India generate in 2025-26?

CPCB data placed before the Lok Sabha put the figure at 14,14,645 metric tonnes for 2025-26, up from 13,97,955 metric tonnes in 2024-25.

How much of that was actually recycled?

Around 9,79,080 metric tonnes were recycled in 2025-26, a recovery rate of roughly 69%, compared to about 83% in 2024-25.

Which states recycled the most e-waste in 2025-26?

Uttar Pradesh led with 3,76,896 metric tonnes, followed by Telangana at 1,61,988 metric tonnes and Haryana at 1,35,951 metric tonnes.

What happens to the e-waste that isn't formally recycled?

Most of it moves through informal channels, hand dismantling and unregistered scrap trading, that recover less material and operate outside CPCB's EPR certificate system.

Conclusion

The latest CPCB figures provide a useful snapshot of India's rapidly expanding e-waste management ecosystem. India had generated 14,14,645 metric tonnes of e-waste during 2025–26 so far, while 9,79,080 metric tonnes had been recycled by the time of the March 2026 parliamentary disclosure.

The figures should not be interpreted simply as a 69% final annual recycling rate, because the 2025–26 data was reported on a “so far” basis. What they do clearly demonstrate is the scale of material that India's formal recycling infrastructure needs to handle and the importance of increasing verified processing capacity.

For recyclers, producers and EPR stakeholders, the next phase of India's e-waste ecosystem will depend not only on increasing capacity, but also on improving collection, traceability, material recovery and environmentally sound processing. Building that infrastructure will be essential as India's electronic consumption—and consequently its e-waste stream—continues to expand.