Two Hyderabad teens took on e-waste, one dead laptop at a time
E-Cycl collects old electronics, refurbishes what it can and works to keep sanitation workers away from toxic scrap.
India generated 1.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021 and 2022, and only about a third of it was recycled, according to figures cited by UN Women. Two teenagers in Hyderabad decided to work on the rest.
E-Cycl India was founded in 2022 by Sahithi Radha and Diya Loka, both Hyderabad students. Loka attends CHIREC International School. The Logical Indian reports that Loka was 14 when the sight of e-waste piling up on streets bothered her enough to act. The first steps were school seminars and neighborhood collection drives.
The human side of the problem is the people who handle the scrap. UN Women reports that E-Cycl supports 100 sanitation workers and advocates for policy change on child labour in the sector.
The operation itself is plain. E-Cycl holds collection drives at residential complexes, schools and offices, then routes the material to recycling. Usable devices are refurbished and donated to children in government schools. Awareness sessions, run by students, cover both the environmental and the human cost of dumping electronics.
The numbers, as reported by UN Women and The Logical Indian, are over 10,000 kilograms of e-waste collected in roughly three years. The Logical Indian also reports about 150 volunteers across more than 10 countries and says the Telangana Pollution Control Board has commended the model. Loka received the Diana Award in 2024, and Radha is a member of UN Women’s 30 for 2030 Network.
UN Women quotes Radha saying she will not be satisfied until she has helped every sanitation worker she can reach. That is a large ambition for a school project, and it is an honest description of how the work scales: one drive, one worker, one more bin of circuit boards.
We did not find an E-Cycl website or public contact page. UN Women’s feature is the best place to start.
