Hulladek eyes pan-India expansion, aims to collect 20,000 tonnes of e-waste in 3 yrs

An alumnus of St. James, Kolkata and St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, he completed his training in e-waste management and recycling processes in Indumetal Recycling from Bilbao, Spain in 2013, where he studied processes for extraction of precious metals and salting techniques. In 2015, he floated Hulladek Recycling Private Limited, Eastern India’s fastest growing e-waste management company. Hulladek is licensed and authorised by the Central Pollution Control Board under the e-waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018. At present they are working with corporate giants such as Coca Cola, Pepsi Co, Nestle India, etc. Also, they are working with Kolkata Municipal Corporation and HIDCO. Till date they have recycled 2 million kgs of e-waste across the country.

At present, the Kolkata-headquartered company provides services that include collection of e-waste from households and corporates, extended producers’ responsibility (e-waste and plastic) and data destruction services. Hulladek has ventured into plastic waste management in association with LYNQ. They will be providing EPR services to producers of plastic.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Nandan Mall, Founder-CMD, Hulladek Recycling Private Limited, explains embedded in the evergreen mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle, how Hulladek strives to manage the electronic and electrical waste of the country.

How do you define e-waste? What does it all include?

Imagine all the gadgets and gizmos we use daily – from gym equipment and home appliances to office electronics, smartphones, TVs, and even medical devices. Well, all of these fall under the category of e-waste, which basically includes any discarded electronic device or electrical equipment powered by batteries or electricity. It's like the retired rockstars of the tech world!

What is the current volume of e-waste being generated in India annually? At what rate is it growing?

In India, over 1.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being generated annually. And it’s growing at a whopping rate of 30 per cent every single year!

Where does India stand vis-a-vis other developing and developed countries, in this regard?

When it comes to generating electronic waste, India isn't far behind. In fact, it's the third-largest e-waste producer in the world, just behind China and the USA.

What exactly do you do and what is your modus operandi?

We're in the business of helping companies meet their environmental responsibilities when it comes to e-waste and plastic waste. Basically, we handle everything from picking up the waste to transporting it, processing it, and making sure it's disposed of properly. Our modus operandi? Well, we use smart collection methods and cutting-edge recycling and waste-to-energy technologies to make sure we're taking care of the environment and following all the rules and regulations. Just doing our part to keep things clean and green.

We are on a quest to inspire and conquer the hearts of our stakeholders and foster the belief of a green and sustainable earth. We assist in setting up state-of-the-art, state compliant waste collection centre. We also work towards building a community of responsible, aware and driven citizens who would be the ambassadors of a better tomorrow.

In addition, Hulladek provides collection and recycling services for several kinds of batteries, including lithium-ion, lead-acid, and others. This programme will help to keep dangerous compounds from polluting the environment. In order to promote a circular economy and lessen the negative effects of plastic pollution on the environment, the company is actively involved in the collection and recycling of plastic trash.

How much e-waste/per annum do you collect or deal with, currently? What was the volume, when you started? And what is the volume you are looking at, say, three years down the road?

Back in 2015, when we kicked off, we were just handling a measly 10 tonnes of e-waste from only Kolkata. Fast forward to today, and we're dealing with 5,000 metric tonnes every year from over 20 states of our country. We're not stopping there. Our sights are set even higher – we're aiming to collect a massive 20,000 metric tonnes in the next three years, from across India.

You deal with individuals/households and corporate/business and other organizations, right? What would be the break-up like?

We have a robust collection mechanism we go straight to people's doors to collect their e-waste. And get this – out of the 5,000 metric tonnes we handle, 10 per cent comes right from individual households. The other 90 per cent? Well, that's from big-name corporations and businesses like Tata Group, Nestle India, Blue Star, PepsiCo, Bajaj, Emami, Red Bull, you name it! We're talking about some heavy hitters in the corporate world stepping up to do their part for the environment.

You must be having different mechanisms to deal with both the groups...?

For dealing with both the sectors of B2B and B2C we've got this team of business development managers on board who are out there pounding the pavement, reaching out to corporates and helping them nail down their waste management goals. We're also on a mission to spread the awareness about the importance of e-waste management far and wide. The more awareness that we create the more people get forward for a responsible treatment of their e-waste

Are you working with various civic bodies?

Yes, we collaborate with multiple municipal corporations to manage waste effectively and promote sustainable practices.

Are you a pan India player already? If not, what are your plans in this regard?

Hulladek Recycling is headquartered in Kolkata, but we're making moves all across the map! You can catch us spreading our wings in 20 states across India, from West Bengal to Maharashtra, Odisha to Haryana, and beyond. We're eyeing all those remaining states – because we're on a mission to cover every nook and cranny in the future.

How has the business grown over the years?

Over the last decade, we have created a significant impact in changing consumer behaviour towards habits of recycling. We work actively in reaching out to people, educating them about proper ways of waste disposal and recycling. In 10 years, we have expanded our geographical boundaries by operating in 20 states in India, assisting some of the most prominent organizations and recycling over 5 million kgs of e-waste.

What next? What are your plans for the future?

Our plans for the future include expanding to all the remaining states, diversifying the types of waste we handle—such as tires, batteries, and oil—to improve our collection mechanisms and establish our own recycling unit, to mention a few.