Hulladek Recycling, a city-based electronic waste management firm, plans to recycle 50,000 tonnes of e-waste by 2025.
The company was established in 2015 by Nandan Mall, a commerce graduate from St. Xavier’s College.
The company currently processes e-waste for 1,500 corporate clients, including Tata Steel, PepsiCo, Nestle India, Modelez International and IndusInd Bank.
The company also collects e-waste from individual households and residential complexes and works with Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Hidco.
Thirty-year-old Mall said on Friday that the business opportunity emerged with the central government bringing in E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules in 2011. At that point of time the recycling market was barely formalised.
The rules were later updated in 2016 by the Central Pollution Control Board that oversees formal e-waste management in India.
The company is currently active as a Producer Responsibility Organisation whose role is collection and channelisation of e-waste on behalf of producers for environmentally sound management of such waste. E-waste includes electronic products made of metal, plastic, glass and could also include hazardous chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury.
In 2020, India generated 3.2 million tonnes of e-waste. At an average price of Rs 50 per kg, the e-waste industry in the country is valued at around Rs 1,600 crore.
“According to industry estimates, the percentage of e-waste being recycled will increase from 5 per cent at present to 10-15 per cent and we aim to grab this opportunity. We are looking to expand across the country and scale up our corporate clients by 1.5-2 times,” said Mall.
“We provide door-to-door services for e-waste collection. The waste collected by the company is transported to partners across the country for safe disposal. All relevant documents and certificates are shared with the clients once the waste is recycled,” said Mall. He added that the company may seek funding to scale up operations and explore opportunities into allied businesses in the future.
