E-waste facilities being studied in Norway, Hong Kong to develop first-of-its-kind eco park in Delhi: Minister

Indian Express

17-07-2025

The Delhi government is studying e-waste facilities in Norway and Hong Kong to develop a first-of-its-kind eco park in India, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday. The project, to be developed over the next 18 months in Holambi Kalan in North Delhi's Narela on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, will boost the circular economy and generate employment, he asserted.
'We are studying successful models across the world, including Norway, which is very eco-friendly, and Hong Kong, where e-waste facilities operate within cities but cause zero pollution,' said Sirsa. The third-party feasibility study will review global models with a focus on the design and engineering of zero-emission, zero-landfill recycling parks, rare earth and precious metal recovery systems, and pollution control infrastructure, among other things.
'Our goal is to adopt only the cleanest and safest technologies. This will not only ensure environmental protection but also provide an economic boost to the local village and mark a major step towards freeing Delhi from its pollution burden,' he added. Sirsa claimed that the upcoming facility will be the first-of-its-kind in the country with net-zero emissions and will be surrounded by a dense canopy of trees, making it one of the greenest plants ever built in the country.
Spread over 11.4 acres, the eco park will be developed through a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model, where a private entity is responsible for the entire lifecycle of a project before it is transferred back to the public entity.
It will involve a capital cost of Rs 150 crore and an operational cost of over Rs 325 crore, the Delhi government said in a statement. 'It is expected to cause a substantial reduction in pollution,' the official statement underlined.
The Minister had announced the plans to build the eco-park in Holambi Khan in June.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level meeting on the project, where it was decided that a global tender will be issued by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC).
The facility will process up to 25% of Delhi's total e-waste annually within five years.
India, currently the world's third-largest e-waste generator, produces more than 1.6 million metric tonnes annually, growing at 23% each year, as per the statement. It added that, of this, Delhi alone contributes 9.5%, but only 17.4% of e-waste is recycled globally, leading to a loss of nearly $57 billion in valuable metals such as copper, lithium, and rare earth elements.
The eco park will feature dedicated zones for dismantling, refurbishing, component testing, plastic recovery, and a second-hand electronics market. It will also include skilling and training centres for formal upskilling of workers.
Once operational, it is expected to process 51,000 metric tonnes of e-waste annually, across 106 categories as notified under the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022, and generate over Rs 350 crore in revenue.
The project is part of a larger national push for circular economy solutions, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the Empowered Technology Group. As per the Centre's vision, four such e-waste eco parks are to be established across the country. Delhi is among the first to commit land, governance support, and financial viability to the initiative, government sources claimed.