Lok Sabha Question No. 2335 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Disposal of Waste Batteries
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Gurjeet Singh Aujla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2335

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Disposal of Waste Batteries

## 2335.   SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  unchecked  and  hazardous  growth  of  electronic  waste  is  increasing  in  the country, particularly in border districts like Amritsar, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether toxic fluid discharged from waste batteries is being diluted, dumped or illegally released into water bodies or soil, causing irreversible environmental and groundwater pollution;
- (c) if so, the details of the monitoring mechanism in place to check the disposal of waste batteries in the country;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  surveys,  inspections  or  audits  of  informal dumping grounds, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where scrap handling lacks regulation; and
- (e) the details of recycling measures and pollution control precautions are in place in this regard and the role of certified recyclers towards environment?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) The  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  estimates  the  e-waste  generation  at national level based on the countrywide sales data provided by the registered producers, and average life of notified electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), as mandated under the EWaste (Management) Rules, 2022. As per the CPCB, e-waste generated and percentage of ewaste collected, dismantled and recycled / disposed in the country during the FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 is given below:

| Financial Year (FY)   | Total e-waste generated [tonnes/annum]   |
|-----------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 2023-2024             | 12,54,286.55                             |
| 2024-2025             | 13,97,955.59                             |

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 to manage e-waste in environmentally sound manner, to have an improved Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime for recycling of e-waste and to facilitate & channelize e-waste from informal sector to formal sector. In the State of Punjab, there are eight e-waste recyclers registered on EPR Portal of CPCB with recycling capacity of 46,450 tonnes per annum.

(b) to  (e)        MoEF&CC  has  notified  the  Battery  Waste  Management  Rules,  2022  on  24 th August, 2022 to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries. The rules cover all types of batteries viz. Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial  batteries.  Under  the  rules,  the  producers,  including  importers,  have  been  given mandatory EPR targets for collection and recycling or refurbishment of waste batteries. EPR framework  under  the  Battery  Waste  Management  Rules,  2022  prohibits  disposal  of  waste batteries in landfills.

Under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, the producers have been mandated to obtain registration with CPCB and file annual returns regarding the waste batteries collected and recycled or refurbished towards fulfilling obligations under EPR, and pre-consumer waste batteries generated in the preceding financial year.

The recyclers have been mandated to generate EPR certificates based on the weight of the  battery  waste  processed.  Further,  recyclers  have  been  mandated  to  register  with  State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/ Pollution Control Committee (PCC) on the centralized online portal  and  file  quarterly  returns,  regarding  the  information  on  quantity  of  used  batteries collected  or  received  from  various  producers  or  entities,  recycled  quantities,  quantity  of hazardous and/or other waste including solid waste or plastic waste generated after recycling and disposal of such quantities. The recyclers have been mandated to ensure that recycling processes and facilities for waste batteries comply with the standards or guidelines prescribed by CPCB.

CPCB  has  issued  the  Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  for  lead  acid  battery recycling, specifying the measures for safe draining of hazardous fluids and its disposal and repurposing  use  in  other  industrial  processes.  Centralized  online  EPR  portal  has  been developed for registration of producers and recyclers, exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers to fulfil the EPR obligations of the producer. Currently, there are 437 recyclers registered in the country under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022. Out of 437 recyclers, 40 recyclers are from the state of Punjab.

Under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, CPCB has been mandated to verify compliance by producer through inspection and periodic audit. SPCB has been mandated to verify compliance of entity involved in refurbishing and recycling of waste batteries through inspection and periodic audit. CPCB has empanelled third-party auditors for conducting audit of recyclers of e-waste and battery waste as mandated under the respective rules.

As  per  the  information  received  from  the  Punjab  Pollution  Control  Board,  e-waste facilities are equipped with Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), leachate containment systems, dust extraction and filtration units, secured storage for hazardous fractions, and periodic air and effluent  monitoring.  Battery-waste  facilities  have  Spent  Acid  Recovery  and  Neutralization Systems,  lined waste  storage, ventilated work  areas,  dust  suppression  measures,  and occupational  safety protocols. Further, registered recyclers ensure  the  safe collection, transportation, dismantling, and recovery of metals from e-waste and batteries, neutralization of  acids,  and  secure  disposal  of  hazardous  residues  in  strict  compliance  with  the  E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 and the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022. They also file returns  on  the  EPR  portal  developed  by  the  CPCB,  ensuring  accountability  and  regulatory compliance.

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