Along the banks of the sacred river Ganges, a thousand discarded refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and phones are carried downstream. Waters revered for purity and renewal now carry the weight of charred circuit boards, tangled wires, and shattered motherboards. It is a stark portrait of India’s reality as the world’s third-largest producer of electronic waste, generating more than 3.4 million tonnes each year.
In northern India, the city of Moradabad once proudly carried the title of ‘Peetal Nagri,’ the brass capital of the country. With the decline of the brass industry, however, a workforce in need of livelihoods turned to a new trade: dismantling electronic waste.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to obsolete devices and their broken parts, everything from phones and computers to circuit boards and wires. Though much of this material still contains valuable metals that can be safely recovered, the reality is far grimmer: nearly 95% of India’s e-waste is burned or dumped in landfills.
What has replaced the brass trade has come at a steep cost. Toxic fumes, heavy metal exposure, and widespread contamination have made the city one of the most polluted in India. Today, it is estimated that nearly 50% of the circuit boards discarded across India eventually end up in Moradabad.
Most of this work happens in the informal sector, outside any system of regulation or safety. The informal sector consists of small workshops, roadside dismantlers, and unregulated dealers who recover metals from discarded electronics.
Along the streets, children bend over circuit boards, prying off tiny components with their bare hands. Women stoke open fires to burn plastic-coated wires, inhaling black smoke to uncover slivers of gold, silver and copper.
At Component Sense, we believe the cycle should be broken long before it reaches this stage.
By helping manufacturers reduce e-waste at the source, we redistribute excess stock safely and responsibly, keeping components in circulation and out of places like Moradabad. Learn more here: Our Mission.
Delhi’s Dark, Unofficial Recycling Hubs
In Seelampur, Mayapuri, Khatta, and other Delhi neighbourhoods, discarded electronics arrive by the truckload. Phones, computers, and industrial machinery, much of it obsolete and some illegally imported, are dismantled in cramped workshops and crowded alleyways.
In Seelampur and Mayapuri, more than 25,000 people depend on dismantling electronics, handling an estimated 10,000–20,000 tonnes of e-waste every year.
Protective gear is rare, if not entirely absent. The consequences are devastating:
| Exposure | Common Practice | Health Consequence |
| Smoke from burning wires | Open fires for copper recovery | Respiratory illness, chronic lung disease |
| Acid baths | Stripping metals from circuit boards | Skin burns, chemical poisoning |
| Heavy metals (lead, mercury) | Manual dismantling, dust inhalation | Neurological damage, developmental issues in children |
Yet for many families, e-waste remains the only available income stream. Every retired device is a means of survival. For the cost of breathing smoke, handling acid, and working in toxic dust, workers take home just ₹200–₹300 a day (US $2.50–$3.50).
We explore these health consequences in greater depth in our blog: The Silent Toll of E-Waste on Human Health.
India’s technology revolution has transformed the nation. The country’s electronics production surged to around US $115 billion in FY 2024, and is projected to reach nearly US $500 billion by 2030.
Affordable smartphones, online services, and booming digital industries have changed how people live, work, and connect. Yet this rapid growth has also created an avalanche of discarded electronics.
This mismatch — huge demand but almost no formal infrastructure — fuels dangerous practices. Valuable resources are salvaged, but the toxic by-products are left behind, poisoning soil, air, and water.
Bridging the gap between rapid growth and responsible recycling starts with industry. Read more in our blog: How Businesses Can Drive Sustainability.
In Dharavi Slum, two workers sift through a pile of discarded electronics. (Courtesy of Chris Bucanac, iStock).
If the risks are so significant, why does the informal sector still handle nearly all of India’s e-waste? The answer lies in accessibility.
Formal recycling plants exist, but they are few, centralised, and often too costly for small-scale sellers to access.
By contrast, the informal sector is cheap, immediate, and deeply embedded in local economies. Scrap dealers, middlemen, and dismantlers form a vast network that stretches across cities. For households and businesses, this informal chain is the quickest way to offload old devices.
A flowchart showcasing the informal e-waste chain.
India’s E-Waste Management Rules (2022) were designed to shift responsibility back to manufacturers, who are now legally required to collect and recycle a percentage of the products they sell under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Yet on the ground, enforcement remains uneven, and most waste still bypasses formal channels. Despite the dangers, this gap between policy and practice is why the informal sector continues to dominate.
E-waste is not just an Indian problem. Wealthier nations continue to export discarded electronics, both legally and illegally, with India as a major destination. Reports from the Global Transboundary E-waste Flows Monitor and by the Rest of the World highlight that shipments arrive from countries including the United States, Yemen, and the Dominican Republic.
When these devices reach unregulated workshops, recovery methods are unsafe. Metals are lost, toxic residues contaminate the environment, and communities are exposed to severe hazards.
This situation also affects global supply chains. Scarcity of key metals and disruptions in component availability can create risks for manufacturers worldwide, showing that e-waste mismanagement has both humanitarian and economic consequences.
India’s story is not unique.
Read more about how countries like Ghana are grappling with the e-waste crisis: The Impact of E-Waste.
At Component Sense, we believe sustainable redistribution of E&O stock helps reduce e-waste. By extending the lifecycle of components through redistribution, we keep valuable parts in circulation and out of unsafe recycling hubs.
Redistribution not only promotes a circular economy, it ensures:
Every redistributed component is one less to be burned or picked apart by vulnerable workers.
In Hindu thought, nature is not a resource to consume but a living presence to honour. Every tree, river, and mountain is part of a sacred whole.
Redistribution puts that philosophy into practice. By extending the life of components, we cut environmental harm and reduce the pressure to extract new resources. It is a way of respecting nature as a partner, not a product.
Devotee performing holy rituals at polluted river shore. (Courtesy of Bambam Kumar Jha, iStock).
Honouring nature in this way also strengthens business. A sustainable supply chain benefits not just the planet, but profit too.
Find out more in our blog: Why a Sustainable Supply Chain Benefits Business.
As India rises as a global electronics hub, managing excess stock has never been more urgent. Redistribution ensures your inventory doesn’t go to waste but instead strengthens a leaner, more sustainable supply chain.
Our vision goes further. As we grow, we aim to tackle the global e-waste crisis directly, supporting clean-up projects in communities like Agbogbloshie, Ghana. These efforts not only remove harmful waste but also create jobs, invest in education, and empower local economies.
At Component Sense, sustainability isn’t just a promise. It is our daily work.
Partner with us to keep components in use, cut e-waste, and protect people and the planet.