Mumbai: While India has made significant progress in areas of recycling like e-waste, tyres, and metals, the plastics industry continues to face major challenges and requires stronger advocacy, according to Sanjay Mehta, President, Material Recycling Association of India.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day Plastics Recycling Show and Bharat Recycling Show in Mumbai recently, Mehta said the foremost agenda is to compile accurate and comprehensive data on plastic scrap recycling in India including the quantities collected, sent to landfills, and effectively recycled.
Describing recycling as representing the future that forms the foundation of a truly circular economy, Siddhesh Kadam, Chairman, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, said that the MPCB—in partnership with the State and Central Governments—is developing incubation hubs to support youth-led startups in recycling and resource management.
B K Soni, CMD, Eco Recycling, said that with the right framework, India’s recycling sector can scale rapidly as technologies for recovery of precious materials like gold, silver, palladium, lithium and cobalt are already accessible globally.
While the present is witnessing barely 5% of e-waste being recycled in India with support of an estimated Rs 2,500 crore of investment, achieving full-scale recycling would mean that this sector required close to Rs 50,000 crore, he said, adding that ultimately progress lies in citizen participation initiatives like +OneBillionCharger+ campaign to create awareness.
Taher Patrawala, MD, Media Fusion, said urban infrastructure investments and public-private partnerships are further boosting India’s recycling capacity, which is already at over 2,447 plants as of 2024.
Mathew Barber, Global Events Director, Crain Communications, said that with recycling and resource recovery emerging as pivotal elements of industrial transformation, the need for innovative technologies, material efficiency and cross-sector partnerships has become more critical than ever.
The event, which is the country’s largest recycling-focused platform, features 150 exhibitors, 8,000 visitors and participants from over 10 countries.
The plastics sector processes over 10 million tonnes of waste annually, while the paper fibre loop uses roughly 45% recycled input, and metals like zinc have recycling rates as low as “~10%.”
