India’s Battery Recycling Infrastructure Gap: A Critical Review for a Circular Economy

India's burgeoning electric vehicle (EV), solar power, and energy storage sectors are accelerating demand for lithium- ion batteries (LIBs), with cumulative critical mineral requirements projected to exceed 250 kilotons between 2024 and 2030. However, formal recycling remains limited—under 5%—while nearly 90% of end-of-life batteries are processed informally through hazardous methods. This review examines India’s current battery waste management ecosystem, identifying enforcement lapses in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), infrastructural voids, and the marginalization of informal actors. It benchmarks India’s challenges against regulatory and industrial models in China, the European Union, and the United States, assessing reverse logistics, policy mandates, and system scalability. Drawing from secondary research and firsthand insights from a battery manufacturing internship, the study outlines the economic opportunity of a $3.5 billion recycling market and the cost advantage of recovered materials—up to 40% savings. It further explores environmental risks and proposes strategic interventions including formal–informal integration, digital tracking mechanisms, and return-based incentives. Advancing LIB recycling is not only critical for sustainability but central to India's resource independence and circular economy aspirations.