Recycling Villa : Setting the Benchmark for innovative E-waste Management in India
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – These are the three tenets pivotal to effective waste management and combatting climate change. And it applies to any kind of waste, even electronics. In today’s digital age, electronic devices are integral to our convenient lifestyle. However, the lifespan of these electronic devices has significantly decreased over the years, leading to an increasing E-waste problem.
Surprisingly, E-waste escapes from recycling streams in stunning proportions. Electronic devices contain various materials, including plasticisers, flame retardants, pigments, etc. These materials, mixed with other toxic ones, make recycling E-waste quite difficult. The situation demands specialists equipped with knowledge and innovations to safely recycle E-waste and reduce environmental impact. Enter Recycling Villa, a Punjab-based startup that works with government and private companies across the country. As an ISO and R2-certified company, Recycling Villa boasts strong experience in processing large quantities of electrical & electronic (WEEE) waste.
A Vision for a Greener Tomorrow
The mission and vision of Recycling Villa were born from the ingenious mind of Mohd. Ahad, an software engineer who sought to preserve the environment and natural resources. He brings over eight years of experience, with a Master’s degree from Thailand, and has built a strong background working for various E-waste management companies across India. During his professional stint, Ahad was deeply affected by the ways companies exploited the environment. He also realised that many companies lacked expertise in recycling E-waste. The fact that electronic waste contains toxic components like mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium, and lithium, which are hazardous to health, further drove him.
The increasing influx of electronic devices has led to an exponential rise in E-waste worldwide, and India is no exception. This stark reality moved him to leverage his expertise to launch a one-stop shop for recycling E-waste. This is how Recycling Villa came to be. The company understands the complexities of E-waste management and provides environmentally sound solutions to recycle and dispose of waste materials as well as process reusable materials.
Responsible E-waste Management
Recycling Villa is a resource-driven company that combines expertise and innovation to excel. It has a well-versed team and advanced processing equipment to simplify the recycling process and meet the specific needs of its clients. This allows it to work with MNCs, BPOs, banks, hospitals, industries, educational institutes, and government offices, providing cost-effective and timely services with client satisfaction.
The emphasis on being “environment-friendly” makes the company distinct in its genre. It is well aware of the risks associated with hazardous E-waste recycling, which is why it has set up policies and designed strategies that abide by all the health and safety measures and hazardous E-waste management guidelines. It prioritises the importance of QHSE Policies and E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2016. This keeps the company focused on its ultimate goal—to not treat E-waste as waste but rather as a resource to protect the environment and natural resources and utilise them efficiently. It is passionately dedicated to producing 100% biodegradable products, including innovative items like paper pens, paper pencils, seed balls, visiting cards, bookmarks, seed notebooks, calendars, and other stationery.
Driving Excellence Through Leadership
At the heart of Recycling Villa’s dynamic growth are leaders who blend vision with execution. Mr. Aman Mirza, Director of Operations, is the strategic powerhouse ensuring that every recycling initiative is executed with precision, innovation, and environmental responsibility. His ability to streamline operations while driving sustainable solutions has set new benchmarks in the E-waste industry. Alongside him, Mr. Mohit Kumar, Operations Manager, orchestrates the on-ground realities—coordinating teams, optimising logistics, and ensuring that every collection, segregation, and processing step meets the company’s uncompromising standards.
Together, they form the operational backbone of Recycling Villa—transforming challenges into opportunities and opportunities into impactful environmental change. Their leadership not only fuels the company’s success but also inspires an entire industry to see waste as the beginning of something better.
Setting Standards for E-waste Management
There is a stark difference between E-waste management in developed vs developing countries. Unlike developed nations, India doesn’t have too many government-approved recycling centres to dismantle and repurpose E-waste. Most of the formal recycling centres currently available operate at dwindled capacities owing to the inability to source waste. Only a few cities have dedicated collection points where people can drop their electronic scraps. While the concept of a circular economy has gained traction in certain places, it is yet to become a norm. To top it all, the ignorant mass continues to dispose of electronic waste in the most unfavourable conditions.
The fallacy in proper E-waste management has made India the 5th biggest producer, generating 1.25 lakh million tonnes of E-waste every year. Just ten states and UTs combine to generate 70% of electronic waste in the country. Untrained labourers are in charge of transportation, segregation, dismantling, and disposal of electronic waste in informal sectors. Adding to this is the fact that India is a dumping ground for electronic wastes from the US, UK, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, among others.
Faced with increasing E-waste, Recycling Villa promotes open, transparent, and non-discriminatory practices for sustainable collection and recycling systems. It facilitates the channelisation of E-waste, including the collection and environmentally sound recycling of electrical and electronic equipment according to producers’ obligations. It also rolls out public awareness initiatives and campaigns to promote the programme and enhance the responsible disposal of equipment. The impacts of these efforts go beyond social service—they foster sustainable development, keep diseases at bay, and contribute to the growth of E-waste management in India.
Technologically Adept to Note
One of the fundamental tenets of Recycling Villa is technological sophistication, a cornerstone that empowers the company to transform waste into pristine, conflict-free, and sustainable materials. A shining example of this innovation is their cutting-edge recycling plant. With advanced R&D-driven technologies, it skilfully processes a diverse range of E-waste—from mobile phones and CRT tubes to TFT displays, IT assets, PCBs, and lithium batteries—extracting valuable materials while minimising the carbon footprint and operating costs significantly lower than billion-dollar facilities.
The company goes beyond mere recycling; it pioneers an innovative ‘Mining’ approach that draws essential natural elements from E-waste. This strategy not only alleviates the need for traditional mining practices but also helps preserve our planet’s precious natural resources. By offering clients a reliable solution for managing their E-waste, Recycling Villa is not only easing the burdens of environmental and legal compliance but also championing a greener future for all.
Promoting the Need for E-waste Management
While using technology to recycle E-waste responsibly, Recycling Villa also shoulders the responsibility of promoting E-waste management. It has created dedicated programmes for schools to encourage students to learn and adopt waste management practices from an early age. It has also designed a bulk consumer programme to help consumers be more aware of E-waste responsibilities. Given the fact that most of the E-waste in the country is collected by waste pickers, it has introduced programmes that bring them within the formal sector. It is also working with informal sector aggregators to make them a part of the take-back channel.
Last but not least, it offers a Retail Shops Programme to ensure that no E-waste from here goes to landfill or informal recycling channels. These shops also serve as an awareness channel for consumers who come to drop off their electronics for repairs. The successful implementation of these programmes has not just earned the company recognition from the government but also enables it to work on ambitious projects.
Many Milestones to Be Proud Of
In just five short years, Recycling Villa has established itself as a pioneer in the waste management industry. Its remarkable journey has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, including a feature in Silicon India Magazine’s Top 1 Edition. Its unwavering commitment to managing E-waste has been highlighted by prominent channels such as News18, Hindustan Times, and Rozana Spokesman.
Looking ahead, Recycling Villa has ambitious plans on the horizon. The company aims to establish a cutting-edge lithium and carbon battery recycling plant with a capacity of 12,000 metric tons, enhance its E-waste recycling capabilities from 3,000 metric tons to 10,000 metric tons, and incorporate more innovative technologies to refine its recycling processes. As these plans unfold, Recycling Villa is poised to become even more impactful.
