NEW DELHI: In a dim room off a crowded alley in northeast Delhi, Shahjahan sits on the floor peeling wires with a knife. Her two children sort copper beside her, taking care to avoid tripping on scrap when they move across the room.
She earns a few hundred rupees, or about US$2, a day by breaking down discarded electronics brought in by small scrap dealers.
But the supply of e-waste is thinning, and Shahjahan's income is dwindling as more scrap moves to licensed plants on the edge of the capital.
"If the work goes, what will we do?" said Shahjahan, 32, who only gave her first name.
India is cracking down on informal recycling in a bid to recover a greater proportion of minerals like copper, a key material in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles.
For people i
Continue Reading on The Star Malaysia
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.