E-Waste Rules in India: What Every Business Needs to Know in 2025

If your business generates electronic waste — old laptops, servers, phones, networking equipment — you are now legally required to ensure it gets recycled through a CPCB-registered recycler. This is not optional. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, which came into effect from April 1, 2023, replaced the older 2016 rules and introduced a much stricter EPR framework.

Who does this apply to?

The rules apply to every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler and recycler involved in the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase or processing of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) listed in Schedule I. That list now covers 106 product categories including computers, phones, servers, medical devices, solar panels and consumer electronics.

What are the recycling targets?

CPCB has set phased targets for how much e-waste producers must ensure gets recycled each year:

• FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25: 60% of waste generated from previously sold equipment
• FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27: 70%
• FY 2027-28 and onwards: 80%

For producers who recently started selling, separate targets apply under Schedule IV — starting at 15% of FY 2021-22 sales for FY 2023-24, rising to 20% and higher in subsequent years.

How does compliance work?

Producers meet their EPR targets by ensuring e-waste is recycled through CPCB-registered recyclers. The recycler generates an EPR Certificate through the CPCB portal, which the producer purchases to demonstrate compliance. This is the certificate you need for your annual and quarterly returns filed with CPCB.

What happens if you do not comply?

Environmental compensation is levied on non-compliance. First default attracts a penalty of Rs 20,000 for producers and Rs 15,000 for recyclers. Continued non-compliance can lead to cancellation of registration and closure of operations. No entity can deal with an unregistered recycler — doing so is itself a violation.

How The Scrap Bridge helps

Every deal closed on The Scrap Bridge involves a CPCB-registered recycler and generates a recycling certificate. This certificate is exactly what you need for your EPR compliance filing. You get competitive pricing for your waste and your compliance documentation in one transaction.

Official resource: eprewaste.cpcb.gov.in | CPCB FAQ on E-Waste Rules (PDF)