Pune, one of India’s leading IT and educational hubs, has launched a city-wide “E-waste Initiative” to address the growing challenge of electronic waste. The campaign, currently underway, calls for collective action from communities and stakeholders to build a more sustainable urban future.The initiative comes at a time when the Pune Municipal Corporation’s waste-to-energy project has seen limited progress. Although funds for the electricity generation facility were allocated in the 2025–26 civic budget, the plant, planned at Ramtekdi to process 350 tonnes of waste daily, has missed earlier targets. Its completion deadline, initially set for December 2025, has now been extended by four months.As part of the initiative, the PMC has activated e-waste collection drives across 15 ward offices, collecting over two tonnes of e-waste so far, including overhead cables. Local collaborations with housing societies are helping decentralize the disposal effort.Pune, grapples with increasing e-waste generated by households, offices, startups, educational institutions, and industrial units. The city continues to face challenges in e-waste management, including limited collection infrastructure and a heavy reliance on informal recycling sectors.E-waste includes discarded electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, and household appliances. These often contain hazardous substances like lead, mercury, and flame retardants. Improper disposal can cause these toxins to leach into the environment, posing health and ecological risks.Pune’s ongoing awareness campaign underscores the urgency of local intervention, even as infrastructural delays highlight the scale of the challenge.
