Attero to Invest INR 150 Crore to Expand E-Waste, Copper and Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling

Attero has announced plans to invest INR 150 crore to expand its recycling and R&D infrastructure across India, focusing on e-waste, copper, and lithium-ion battery processing.

The move will add nearly 1 lakh tonnes of annual processing capacity through five new facilities, while upgrading its R&D Centre with advanced automation, robotics, and material recovery technologies. These include new e-waste recycling plants in Pune, Bengaluru and Faridabad, a copper recycling plant in Reengus (Rajasthan) and a strengthened R&D Centre of Excellence in Greater Noida. 

The new infrastructure will focus on automation, robotics and advanced material recovery technologies aimed at strengthening India’s formal recycling ecosystem.

India generates over 3.8 million metric tonnes of e-waste annually, much of which continues to be handled by the informal sector. However, tighter enforcement of extended producer responsibility (EPR) norms and compliance requirements has led to a gradual increase in formal processing, improving traceability and recovery efficiency.

Attero currently accounts for nearly 30 percent of India’s formal recycling market, significantly ahead of other players. Its existing Roorkee facility processes about 144,000 tonnes per annum, making it one of the country’s largest integrated compliant recycling plants. Once the new facilities become operational, the company’s total processing capacity across e-waste and metals recovery is expected to rise to 244,000 tonnes per annum.

Each of the three new e-waste plants will have an annual capacity of 25,000 tonnes, adding 75,000 tonnes in total. The Reengus copper recycling unit will contribute an additional 25,000 tonnes, taking the planned capacity addition to 100,000 tonnes per year.

The company said that the facilities would improve feedstock availability for its platforms, including Selsmart and MetalMandi, reduce long-distance waste transportation and improve access to formal recycling in high-consumption markets. The expansion is also expected to generate between 800 and 1,000 jobs across operations, automation, safety, warehousing and logistics.

Commenting on the expansion, Attero co-founder and chief executive Nitin Gupta said that recycling increasingly depends on technology-driven processes, including robotics and automated dismantling systems, to improve accuracy, safety and material recovery efficiency. He noted that rising consumption of electronics and batteries requires facilities capable of handling higher volumes without compromising output quality.

Technology upgrades will form a key part of the expansion. Robotic battery dismantling systems currently used at the Roorkee facility will be deployed at the new plants, along with automated battery discharging units, energy-efficient roasting systems, advanced filtration and drying technologies, and automated material-handling lines.

The Greater Noida R&D Centre of Excellence will continue to support process innovation, automation design and technology upgrades across facilities. Attero holds 47 patents related to e-waste processing, battery recycling and metals recovery and is also planning international dismantling and lithium-ion battery recycling facilities based on technology developed in India.

The company noted that the expansion would support the country’s transition towards a more robust and reliable formal recycling framework.