Shun ‘take, make, dispose’ attitude to move towards circular economy: Bhupender Yadav

“The way production is happening in this country, we have to shun the attitude of take, make and dispose and move towards recycling and reusing. By 2050, the circular economy will be 2 trillion dollars and this will create 10 million jobs…hence circular economy is important from the view of national building. We have a big opportunity in front of us, and we can create new businesses, eco-friendly products,” said Yadav.

The ‘take, make and dispose’ approach, he said, gives way to the creation of trash. Yadav was speaking at The Recycling and Environment Association of India Conclave on Waste Recycling and Climate Change, 2025.

Speaking on the increasing demand for critical minerals and similar raw materials, Yadav said that reuse and recycling will reduce dependence and pressure on imports and help in moving towards self-reliance. Yadav said that while the government had made rules on the management of e-waste, waste tyres, used oil, battery waste and end-of-life vehicles through its mandate of policy interventions, the industry needed to focus on four aspects.

“For a circular economy, products have to be redesigned for circularity, industry has to collectively invest in advanced recycling technology, that will lead to high recovery rate of precious metals, we need to strengthen our supply chains from rag-pickers onwards, and importantly, we need to effect change in consumer behaviour,” he said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s adoption of recycled clothes during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Yadav said, “The Prime Minister had worn a jacket made of recycled material, and it was a message for all of us on the need to reduce waste. We have to make a systemic shift towards adopting alternate economic models,” he said.