Bangladesh could recover around $500 million worth of valuable metals annually from discarded electronics, but weak collection systems and limited recycling capacity are allowing much of this wealth to go to waste, according to a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) study.
A separate study by the Department of Environment (DoE), conducted through Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), found that around 97% of the country's e-waste bypasses formal recycling.
The 2017 study estimated that only 3% of e-waste was formally recycled and exported, leaving valuable materials such as gold, silver, copper and tin unrecovered alongside hazardous waste.
Research by Buet's Centre for Environmental and Resource Management found that a tonne of discarded RAM modules can yield up to 600 grams of gold. Laboratory processes can recover more than 99% of copper, over 94% of silver and around 86% of tin from e-waste.
However, Bangladesh lacks the technology and regulatory capacity to recover these materials on a large scale.
The country generated around 4,00,000 tonnes of e-waste in 2018, with the volume growing by roughly 20% annually. The Buet study projects annual generation will reach 4.62 million tonnes by 2035.
MA Hossain, owner of JR Recycling Solution, an e-waste recycling factory in Savar, said an environmentally compliant plant requires Tk10-15 crore in investment, alongside around 22 licences and approvals from agencies including the DoE, BTRC and DIFE.
His factory recovers copper, brass and other metals but cannot extract gold.
"The technology required to recover gold is extremely expensive and would require at least Tk500 crore in investment. We cannot afford such an investment," he said.
According to the DoE, only 16 commercial recyclers nationwide had obtained registration, including 14 in and around Dhaka and two in Chattogram.
Hossain estimated that around 14 environmentally compliant facilities in and around Dhaka process just 3-5% of the country's e-waste. The rest goes to hundreds of informal facilities, where workers dismantle electronics, use acid and burn wires to extract metals.
Some established electronics manufacturers are helping organise e-waste collection. Mostafizur Rahman Razu, head of EHS and Sustainability at Walton Group, told TBS that the company collects discarded electronics through exchange offers at its 700 Walton Plaza outlets nationwide.
He added that collected products are sent to the factory, where plastics and metals are separated and sent to specialised recycling plants. In 2025, Walton collected and recycled 66,722 items, including air conditioners, televisions and refrigerators, through its exchange offers.
Bangladesh also importing e-waste
While struggling to manage domestic waste, Bangladesh is also receiving prohibited electronic waste.
Some 14,985 tonnes of e-waste were imported between 2022 and 2024 at a cost of around $7,00,000, according to TIB. Such imports are prohibited under the country's e-waste rules and import policy.
Around 27% of the imported waste was linked to the textile and apparel sector, with shipments often declared as spare parts for textile machinery.
Sharif Al Amin, assistant commissioner and spokesperson for Chattogram Customs, told TBS that importing scrap is not prohibited under the relevant statutory regulatory order (SRO), making it difficult to detect e-waste shipments declared as scrap.
"However, our officials remain vigilant to intercept e-waste imported under misleading descriptions," he added.
TIB called for better scanning equipment and specialised training for customs officials to identify misdeclared e-waste.
During the same period, Bangladesh exported around 4,040 tonnes of printed circuit board (PCB) scraps and electronic components.
"As we do not have the technology to recover gold, we export motherboards to Japan and Korea," Hossain said.
Based on the recorded flows, Bangladesh was a net importer of e-waste during the period.
Informal sector bears health risks
Informal businesses collect much of the country's discarded electronics, providing livelihoods for thousands while diverting waste from landfills. However, many operate without proper registration and use hazardous processing methods.
Major informal recycling clusters include Nimtoli, Elephant Road, Mohammadpur and Tongi in Dhaka, and Ice Factory Road in Chattogram.
The TIB study found that informal processing, often involving underage workers without personal protective equipment, exposes workers and nearby communities to toxic substances.
A Buet risk assessment cited by TIB found unacceptable carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks from airborne chromium and lead among workers of different age groups. Lead contamination in water near scrap-processing sites also posed unacceptable health risks, including to children.
Open burning can release dioxins, furans and other hazardous pollutants, while discarded electronics can leach lead, chromium, mercury and cadmium into soil and groundwater. These contaminants can enter the food chain through fish, livestock and agricultural products.
Rules exist, enforcement lags
Bangladesh introduced the Hazardous Waste (E-waste) Management Rules in 2021, requiring producers, importers and distributors to help manage discarded electronics under the Extended Producer Responsibility principle.
Collection targets are supposed to rise from 10% in the first year to 50% by the fifth year. Yet TIB found that no electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer, importer or distributor had registered with the DoE under the framework.
Emerging waste streams from solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries pose additional challenges, as existing regulations do not adequately cover all such products.
TIB Environment and Climate Finance Coordinator Nabil Haque said the rules lacked explicit provisions covering all types of e-waste and that amendments had been proposed.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the government had failed to establish a credible national e-waste inventory, enforce collection targets or prevent prohibited imports despite the 2021 rules.
Turning waste into an industry
A UN ESCAP report proposes making manufacturers and importers finance e-waste recycling, with subsidies and other incentives to support formal collectors and recyclers. The approach aims to apply the polluter-pays principle and make safe recycling financially viable.
TIB has proposed a 12-point roadmap covering regulatory reform, a national e-waste inventory, producer responsibility, integration of informal workers, stronger customs enforcement and better coordination among government agencies.
It recommends bringing informal scrap businesses into the formal system rather than dismantling the collection networks that already handle much of the country's e-waste.
The DoE said it was stepping up monitoring of hazardous waste. Director (Monitoring and Enforcement) Md Mahbub Jamil said a national committee had been formed to monitor hazardous solid and liquid waste discharged into the environment.
A joint enforcement team has begun inspections in Dhaka and surrounding areas, collecting samples and checking compliance. A consolidated report with recommendations will be submitted after the inspections are completed, he said.