Ministry of Mines Launches Pan-India E-Waste Recycling Drive under Special Campaign 5.0

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the leadership of Union Minister of Coal & Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy, the Ministry of Mines is commencing a Pan-India E-Waste Recycling Drive as part of Special Campaign 5.0, being observed from 2nd to 31st October, 2025. The campaign focuses on improving Swachhata in Government offices while ensuring scientific disposal and resource recovery from electronic waste.

To mark the beginning of this initiative, Secretary (Mines) Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurated the E-Waste Collection Drive at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. The drive is being run Pan-India as part of Special Campaign 5.0, in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development & Design Centre (JNARDDC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Mines. The campaign is also being rolled out simultaneously at nodal sites in Nagpur and Hyderabad, with active participation from central and regional offices, CPSUs, field units, and autonomous organisations of the Ministry.

The e-waste collection drive aims to systematically dispose of unserviceable computers, laptops, printers, LED displays, mobile phones, and other obsolete electronic equipment that has accumulated over time. A dedicated stall has been set up near the entry gate of Shastri Bhawan where employees can deposit old devices or pre-book home pick-up of e-waste from their residences. Officials from the Ministry of Mines as well as other Ministries can avail this facility, with salvage value applicable as per notified rates at the time of submission.

Recognising the environmental and strategic importance of this initiative, JNARDDC has partnered with Attero, India’s leading electronic waste recycling company. As part of this collaboration, Attero has established 20 e-waste collection stalls across India, including at key government and public sector locations, to facilitate easy disposal of discarded devices. Using its globally patented advanced recycling technologies, Attero processes e-waste and lithium-ion batteries waste to recover valuable resources such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and rare earth elements like neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium, which are essential for batteries, magnets, defence applications and clean energy systems.

By reintegrating these recovered materials into domestic manufacturing, the campaign directly supports the objectives of the National Critical Minerals Mission by reducing import dependency and strengthening India’s clean energy transition. Through Special Campaign 5.0, the Ministry of Mines is combining Swachhata with sustainability, turning electronic waste into a strategic resource while advancing the vision of a cleaner, more efficient, and self-reliant Bharat.