§1How big it is

§2Ways to get started

  • Dry waste collection and Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for a ward or town
  • Plastic recycling into granules, pipes or pallets (EPR credits)
  • Authorised e-waste collection centre / dismantler
  • Compost or bio-CNG from wet and market waste
  • C&D waste processing into aggregates and paver blocks

See the Business Encyclopedia

§3Hubs and clusters

  • Indore, Agra, Rajkot (dumpsite reclamation examples cited by PIB)
  • Delhi NCR (Mundka, Seelampur) and Moradabad - well-known informal e-waste/metal recycling clusters (not from an official list)

§4Licences and registration

  1. SPCB authorisation under the relevant waste rules (Plastic / E-Waste / Battery / Hazardous Waste)
  2. CPCB EPR portal registration as recycler, refurbisher or producer (plastic packaging, e-waste, batteries, tyres, used oil)
  3. Municipal empanelment or contract for collection, MRF or processing
  4. Hazardous waste TSDF and transport authorisation where applicable
  5. Udyam Registration (MSME) - free, online, PAN + Aadhaar based
  6. GST registration (mandatory above turnover threshold or for inter-state supply / e-commerce sale)
  7. Shops & Establishment registration or Factory Licence (Factories Act / state rules) depending on size and power use
  8. Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate from the State Pollution Control Board - category (Red/Orange/Green/White) as per CPCB 2025 harmonised list; White category is exempt from consent
  9. IEC (Importer Exporter Code) from DGFT if you import or export

§5Regulators

  • Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (SBM-Urban); Ministry of Jal Shakti (SBM-Gramin, water supply)
  • MoEFCC and CPCB (Solid Waste, Plastic Waste, E-Waste, Battery Waste, Bio-Medical and Hazardous Waste Rules)
  • State Pollution Control Boards; Urban Local Bodies (municipal contracts)

§6Government help

  • Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 funding for MRFs, compost, C&D waste and dumpsite remediation [PIB Sep 2025]
  • National Bioenergy Programme - waste-to-energy component [PIB Jun 2025]
  • SATAT (compressed biogas offtake by oil companies) - status not checked in this pass
  • GOBARdhan (biogas from cattle and farm waste) - status not checked in this pass
  • Cross-sector schemes that also apply (detailed in the programmes file): Udyam benefits, PMEGP, PM Mudra Yojana, CGTMSE credit guarantee, Stand-Up India, MSE-CDP (cluster development), RAMP, MSME ZED and Lean certification, MSME Champions, TReDS, Startup India (SISFS seed fund, Fund of Funds, CGSS), RoDTEP, EPCG, Advance Authorisation, Districts as Export Hubs, ODOP (One District One Product)

All schemes

§7Pros and cons

Merits

  • Rules make producers pay for recycling (EPR), creating a paid market for recyclers
  • Large and growing municipal spend on processing and dumpsite clearance [PIB Sep 2025]

Demerits

  • Payment cycles of urban local bodies are slow
  • Authorisation and pollution compliance is strict; informal competition on price
  • Commodity prices of recovered material swing

Sources

  1. PIB backgrounder: Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 - Powering Swachh Bharat Mission (25 Sep 2025)
  2. PIB backgrounder: India's Energy Landscape - Powering Growth with Sustainable Energy (22 Jun 2025)