DELHI: The Government of India has launched a three-year mission to transform waste into valuable resources as part of its push towards a circular economy and sustainability. The initiative, spearheaded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, was implemented in the financial year 2023-24 with a budget of Rs 666.27 crore.
Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on March 26, 2025, stated that the mission addresses diverse waste streams, including fossil fuel waste, biotic waste, metallic and non-metallic waste, and electronic waste. Nineteen CSIR laboratories are collaborating to develop innovative solutions, focusing on three key areas: industrial waste utilization, e-waste recycling, and conversion of biomass and fossil fuel waste into energy and valuable products.
The initiative has already achieved notable successes. Researchers have developed a method to incorporate fired stoneware crockery waste into new stoneware products at an industrial scale. Construction and demolition waste is now being recycled into durable glass foam bricks with a compressive strength of approximately 4 MPa, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional building materials. Additionally, a prototype for recycling refractory waste for high-temperature applications has been created, incorporating up to 40 per cent recycled content.
In the renewable energy sector, scientists have designed a mechanical separator to efficiently disassemble solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, enhancing sustainability in the solar industry. A novel organic acid-based method has also been developed to extract flavonoids and pectin from orange peel, with applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Besides, CSIR has established technology for the bulk utilization of fly ash in synthetic aggregate production, which can replace conventional natural aggregates in construction, reducing environmental impact.
The mission underscores India’s commitment to sustainable industrial practices and technological innovation in waste management, transforming discarded materials into economic assets while mitigating environmental challenges.
