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ARTICLE · 11 DECEMBER 2025

Clean Energy, Toxic Waste: Are Our Waste Laws Ready For The Future?

BTG Advaya
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India is driving a green energy revolution, aiming for 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.

IndiaEnvironment
Parveen Arora
Parveen Arora
Ishaan Chopra
Ishaan Chopra
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India is driving a green energy revolution, aiming for 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030. It has already achieved over 250 GW of non-fossil energy capacity, primarily from solar (123 GW) and wind (52 GW). While the shift to clean and green energy sources such as solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESSs), and electric vehicles (EVs) is essential for the climate and India's energy independence, it also introduces a hidden, alarming threat: a massive wave of industrial waste.

We are shifting from simple trash to complex, hazardous "new energy" waste. For example, the government estimates solar waste alone will increase from 100 tonnes today to over 600,000 tonnes by 2040. If this waste is disposed of in landfills, the lead, lithium, glass fibre, and cadmium inside will contaminate our soil and water, creating serious environmental and health risks if not properly managed. 

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