(Featured image courtesy The Guardian)

Every time we replace our phone, upgrade a laptop, or ditch a broken appliance, we leave behind something invisible, not to the eye, but to our concern: electronic waste or e-waste.

In India, over 1.6 million tonnes of e-waste were officially generated in 2021-22, and that number keeps rising. But here’s the catch: only a fraction of it is recycled through authorised channels.

The rest? It ends up in landfills or in the hands of informal recyclers who dismantle it without any safety gear, poisoning the soil, water, and their own health.

So what can you do when your phone dies, your TV conks off, or your tangled drawer of chargers gets too full? Here’s a simple, effective guide to help you dispose of your e-waste responsibly, without hurting the planet or the people on it.

What is E-waste?

E-waste includes anything with a battery, plug, or circuit board that you no longer use, like:

• Mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and printers
• Fridges, ACs, washing machines, microwaves
• Cables, chargers, earphones, and remote controls

© The Better India