ITEW (ITEW)

IT and Telecom Equipment Waste (ITEW) is the e-waste category code used in Schedule I of India's E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022 to designate end-of-life information technology and telecommunications equipment — computers, laptops, servers, mobile phones, networking equipment, printers, routers, modems, and small office IT peripherals. It is the highest-value e-waste category by precious-metal and copper content per tonne, and the dominant focus of CPCB-registered formal e-waste recyclers across India.

Schedule I subdivides ITEW into 11 specific item codes. ITEW1: centralised data processing — mainframes, minicomputers, servers (highest gold and palladium content per kg of any e-waste category, 200-600 ppm Au and 100-300 ppm Pd in stripped PCBs). ITEW2: personal computers — desktops, laptops, monitors (50-200 ppm Au). ITEW3-7: printers, copiers, fax machines (lower precious metal, higher copper from windings). ITEW8-11: telephones, mobile phones, networking equipment, mobile devices (mobile phone PCBs carry 200-400 ppm Au with the highest Au-per-gram of any e-waste fraction; combined with palladium and silver, a tonne of stripped mobile phone PCB can yield Rs 8-15 lakh in recoverable precious metal value).

The recycling economics make ITEW the most attractive category. A tonne of mixed ITEW carries roughly 200-400 kg of recoverable copper (Rs 1.5-3 lakh at LME prices), 30-80 kg of aluminium (Rs 6-15,000), 5-15 g of gold (Rs 30-90,000), 10-40 g of palladium (Rs 30-120,000), 50-200 g of silver (Rs 4-15,000), plus 200-400 kg of recoverable plastics (Rs 8-25,000 net of treatment cost) and 100-200 kg of steel (Rs 2-6,000). Total intrinsic value per tonne typically Rs 2.5-5 lakh, against a typical Indian formal-sector procurement price of Rs 60,000-1.5 lakh per tonne at the gate, leaving Rs 1-3.5 lakh per tonne for processing cost, EPR certificate revenue and margin.

The trade-off vs other e-waste categories is concentration and complexity. Large household appliances (LHA) like refrigerators and washing machines carry far higher tonnage per unit but lower per-tonne value (mostly ferrous and aluminium, no precious metals, plus refrigerant gases requiring R290/R600a recovery infrastructure). Lighting (LIEW) involves mercury hazard and complex glass-phosphor separation. ITEW carries the precious-metal payoff but requires more sophisticated hydrometallurgy or partnership with integrated copper smelters for the gold-palladium recovery step. The recurring strategic question for Indian recyclers is whether to invest in domestic hydrometallurgy capability (Rs 25-80 crore capex for 100-300 TPD ITEW processing) or to operate as a pre-concentration plant that segregates PCBs and sends concentrate to specialised refiners (Attero, Brio, Tetronics) or international integrated smelters (Aurubis, Boliden). The latter is the dominant Indian model in 2025 because precious metal volumes remain below the scale that justifies independent refining.